Shadow Empire
by MeridianSKY
Summary: A second chance in another universe… in someone else's body? Would you have accepted? How far would you go to prepare the galaxy against the Reapers? Can unforeseen factors in the equation that even the Reapers didn't account for, in their billion-year existence, tip the scale of balance in the organic's favor?
1. 00: Prologue

**Author's Note — **

**This is not a traditional Mass Effect fanfiction. This is not about a character waiting for Shepard to come around and be recruited for the mission. No, this is about preparation on the galactic level for the upcoming Reaper threat even if only a select few are aware of the Reapers.**

**Be advised, there will be blood, gore, explicit smut scenes and morally reprehensible stuffs!**

**Chapter 0: Prologue**

"Please insert your key card."

...

"Key card verified and accepted."

"Please put both your hands inside the scanner, face straight forward to the sensors and answer the following questions."

"Designation and Security Clearance?"

"ZD-27-**TAU-57i**-ULTRA"

"Employee Name?"

"Dr. Levon James"

"True (Birth) Name?"

...

"…Dr. Ray Parker"

"Date of Birth?"

"2000/Aug/23, Wed, 07:10:04 PM [Age: 17]"

"Preliminary gait analysis and key card identification confirmed."

"Hand print, voice pattern, and passphrase confirmed."

...

"Heart rate, pupil dilation and blood pressure confirmed and validated."

"Please complete your final security measures by inputting passcode while under the monitor of electrocardiograph headset. And place your wrist under the DNA processor."

...

"Passcode authenticated, thought process validated and DNA markers & traits identified."

"Welcome to the Chirikof Base, _Dr. James_"

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Came a gruff reply from said doctor.

**X-X-X**

That's the everyday morning life of one _Dr. Levon James_ or rather Dr. Ray Parker. _Levon James_ is the name usually used in the base and everyone has their own made up names which means no one really knows their colleagues' real names. For the sake of security, says the protocol.

Paranoid much?

Very much and unfortunately it is warranted. After all, this base, the Chirikof was not just your typical run-of-the-mill military base.

To understand about what I do, let's talk about the origin of this base.

This is one of the most secretive facilities which specializes in bio-organic weapons and bio warfare. Not excluding chemical warfare as well. This base is located on Chirikof Island in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Kodiak Island.

'Located on', would be the wrong choice of word since the actual facility is approximately a mile beneath the island and put together in cooperation with the world's superpower nations such as United States, United Kingdom, Canada and later Australia, France, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and a few more European and South American nations.

Constructed way back in 1947 when a house-sized asteroid crashed near the Niagara Falls and the local inhabitants started to fall sick. The military was on the scene and before anyone got a whiff of what the hell's going on, it was collected and transported back to a secure military facility. The cover story was that the sickness was caused by radiation, emitting from the asteroid. And the sick people were quarantined and later declared deceased.

Of course, it was a total horseshit and those people were incinerated when the extensive medical test proved that it was a sickness caused not by radiation but by an extraterrestrial virus hitching a free ride deep inside the asteroid.

That virus was named "Entity Z-TRA_01". The people who were infected actually got lucky because the virus was initially weak and in the process of adapting to Earth's environment and human biology when it first infected, and the patients only suffered brain lesions, catastrophic nervous system failure, bleeding from, well every goddam holes and extreme fever. Then eventual death.

Many would say it's a horrible to thing to say that the patients were lucky. The first scientists and doctors that have firsthand experience would stand by their words because the later revelations were downright horrifying. So, the total of a hundred and twelve patients were infected with Z-TRA_01 and later incinerated in the incineration chambers.

The moment the doctors and scientists realized that the cause of sickness is due to a virus and extraterrestrial in origin at that, everyone went bat shit crazy because it just proves that life beyond Earth was no longer theoretical but a fact. So, the high-ranking brass were terrified to their cores and decided to move the asteroid to a remote island called the Chirikof Island, later a full-fledged military base was approved and built deep under the island. To contain the asteroid and study the virus.

**X-X-X**

It was a year later when the true nature of this alien virus was revealed when one of the lab technicians got contaminated with the dust from the asteroid and the idiot scratched it and the dust burrowed further inside the skin and that's how the whole thing started.

The subject became weak within four minutes, which alerted his nearby colleagues when he collapsed in the middle of the lab. The subject was quarantined immediately and another ten minutes later, weight loss resulted and the blood vessels became apparent all over the body and the color changed to dark purple and black. Weight loss became critical, the subject's mental state declined and became erratic. Despite the extreme weight loss, the body started to bloat and observers can see that there are, 'things' moving inside the subject's body.

After fifteen minutes of initial infection, the subject was clinically dead. But it's not done yet. The virus hasn't finished and the dead body started seizing on the dead bed and the next thing was the scene that none of the observers outside the room could ever forget. Insect-like creatures the size of ping-pong ball emerged from the patient's mouth one by one until every orifice was erupting with said creatures until the body literally exploded and the creatures spread to every part of the room.

Crawling every damn surface and the thing is these little buggers can sense any nearby living organisms so the army of them started coordinating with each other and started ramming the door. And that's when the room was purged with fire.

Actually, when the patient was moved, an incineration chamber was used as a pseudo patient-zero room and so when things went south, a button was only needed to be pressed and the chamber went up in flames.

You see, the island was not exactly uninhabited in first place, it was already used for storing and disposing leftover chemical arsenals (chemunitions) from the Great War (World War 1), and the incineration chambers weren't that uncommon.

Though a few of the creatures managed to hide inside the door frame. But then the scientists realized that without number they became docile and uncoordinated but still extremely dangerous as each individual creature can sense the living organisms. They were kept as samples in secure containment units with napalm charges ready to detonate the moment the containment unit fails.

These alien creatures were using the host body they inhabit as food source and incubator as later studies show. Their goal seems to be all about multiplying and devouring every organic as many as possible. The more there are the more intelligent and coordinated they became, something akin to hive mind mentality. Yet, there was no centralized system like queens or anything. It's always about numbers. Their strength and weakness.

Just as much as there were risk involving the study of "Entity Z-TRA_01", there were also boon from this. Like the toxin they produced was highly effective against certain types of cancer. It was believed that modified toxin might be the key to total elimination of any cancers.

Only if that modification didn't cause unpredictable partial to full paralysis, heart failure and occasional brain death.

Aside from medical applications, the shell of these creatures proved to be highly resistant to kinetic impacts such as bullets. Superimposing these shells and weaving them in layers and you get one hell of a personal armor. Strong, light and flexible.

The first ever organic armor was created. The only problem was you need bucket loads of those nasty buggers to create a fairly decent body armor.

The toxin was quite potent and just one milligram was enough to put down a full-grown adult and ten milligrams to an elephant.

Fire seems to be the most effective weapon against them for now and electricity fucked up their senses and stunned them but not enough to kill them. Electricity became a perfect weapon to tame them in masses.

Which also meant the possibility of creating organic body armor from the shells became a possibility. Now they still require food source to convert into more of them. So, cattle farms were built on the island surface. Also, cows work too.

For the fear of breaking out, the number was limited and safety features and protocols were implemented. From simple napalm charges to bigger explosives that ready to send the entire island into Dante's Inferno. Later, nuclear devices were put in place after the island became a full-blown bio lab.

Nothing must ever escape from the island even high-ranking brass will have to stay if they ever find themselves trapped on that island.

Annual black budget was ever generous since it was funded by multiple nations. Nowadays it's forty to fifty billion dollars at minimum and is a norm for this subterranean facility that stretches underneath the entire island.

And it's not without a primary and defining cause.

In 1973, twenty-six years after the discovery of the "Entity Z-TRA_01", a young scientist by the name of Dr. Robert Wilson discovered that the original strain of virus contains the genetic memory of their origin and probably more. It was believed that those memories are passed down to the creatures and each and every entity has a copy of the genetic memory. By now an army of those creatures are called an entity. But finding the evidence of genetic memory was not that difficult. It's reading them was what makes the virus extremely valuable.

Untold amount of priceless information such as the origin of the virus. Information such as 'Is the virus artificial or natural? Is it a weapon or just a dominant life form from another planet?'

**X-X-X**

Five years later, Dr. Wilson found a way to decipher the genetic memory and interpret it into something understandable.

From there, it was uncovered that the virus was actually an artificially created foundation block of organic nanite or organite but it went rogue and it started multiplying out of control by incubating any living beings it can find.

Essentially, the aliens that created this organite suffered what the Earth scientists termed as organic grey goo scenario.

It also didn't help that the alien civilization that created this virus mainly uses organic technology. Which meant the Bio-organic computers, Bio-electric generators, you get the gist. Almost everything is made of flesh and not to mention everything you touch is slimly and gooey.

But something good came out of that horrible event. The virus managed to retain the blueprint of whatever organic technology it consumed. Bad for the alien creators yet great for the humanity.

Multiple research teams were soon formed to decipher and learn the organic technology of the "Promethean". Though they may not have intended to give us their knowledge. None the less, like the Titan Prometheus, they've bestowed their legacy upon Humanity accidentally.

Whoever or whatever these aliens are, they will be remembered, not forgotten into obscurity. And their accidental gift will not be squandered but used for betterment of Humanity. At least this is what humanity can do for them.

Well back to the virus being the foundation block of the organic nanites, the scientists, doctors and researchers were confident that with the information becoming available from the memories, they would like to give it another try since the benefits are too great not to look into it.

Only this time, another aspect was added to the nanites.

Humanity will not have just organic nanite but rather techno-organic nanite. Hopefully in the near future. That became one of the major projects with hundreds if not thousands of scientists, engineers and researchers. Annual budget for techno-organic nanite (T.O.N.) started with whopping 7 billion dollars. It was an international effort though the project and the island remained top secret.

The research and development of techno-organic nanite started in 1979 under the project name; **High Hope**.

Just because Project **High Hope** is important, it doesn't mean that there are no other projects going on.

Bio-electric generators being the alternative to harmful byproducts from the fission reactors and bio-organic computers that will become alternative to traditional silicon circuitry-based computers. DNA banks capable of storing more data than the silicon-based memory banks.

Whether it's power plant or computer or even thermal coolant, it was decided that fusion of flesh and metal will be the future of mankind.

So that is the brief history of the base and what it contains and what are being carried out on daily basis.

I on the other hand, graduated from college at age 10 with affinity for biology. (Yeah, I'm one of those young prodigy people hear about from their TV). Then, I was quickly snatched off from the front porch of my house just after the graduation ceremony and offered a job by the government. Of course, I agreed quickly and two days later I was shuttled from my hometown via military plane with all blacked-out windows.

My parents were of course hesitant at first since the place that I would be working is highly classified but in the end the decision to take the offer was up to me. At that time, I was becoming bored and craving for something different and challenging. The good thing is that my parents are allowed to visit me at my workplace twice a year. The funny thing is unlike other colleagues and fellow scientists, I don't get homesick or any emotional attachments to my parents.

Don't get me wrong, I love them dearly. Everything was almost complete at the base. For me, it's one giant playground or a sandbox. And I'm playing God on daily basis and getting paid for it.

So, the military plane that ferried me to the island was actually a _C-5M Super Galaxy_, one big badass cargo plane on its usual supply run from the mainland. The island has its own airport and it's a pretty big too since it also receives military planes from other part of the world. Soldiers, scientists, engineers and technicians of different flags were common sight on the island. And there is also extensive farming on the surface. Not just for food but also for experimentations. So, the cattle ranches are a plenty. When the island is looked from the outside, it appears simple and innocuous with farms dotting on the surface. The airport on the other hand was built with the artificial ridges providing some cover from the outside observations. But the airport was actually just a front, which means only big planes land there. The real or the VIP-reserved one is built underneath the island, accessible only through the shaft that opens and closes when long and tedious security procedures are completed. Only helicopters and VTOL capable jets are allowed of course. It is also conveniently connected with the main facility.

The island got multiple access points. From the usual entry from the surface or the underwater maglev-rail from the mainland. And also, submarine pen on northeast side of the island.

I and other scientists usually use surface entrance. The farms on the surface mostly have a barn or two and those barns are the access to the underground facility. It took at least fifty seconds to reach the bottom riding the magnetic elevator. That's 32.18 meters per second for one-mile (one-point-six km) trip. Pretty fast, isn't it? It should be. After all, even a few minutes or seconds are pretty much life and death or global catastrophe considering this island contains the cesspool of viruses, parasites, spores and any other nasties that were housed since the lab started running.

**X-X-X**

Elevator rides to secret underground laboratories and bio weapons, any of that feels familiar to you. Yeah, the island reminds many of the workers, especially gamers, of **the Hive** from the Resident Evil franchise. Sooner than later the new generation of scientists or nerds started calling their workplace, **The Hive**. Like that name myself too. It gives this distinctive aura of sinister and awe.

Approaching the locker room where I keep my stuff like my data pads, a few research notes and the most important of all, my sidearm. Heckler & Koch USP Elite 9mm with Merkle Tuning weight provided by the German allies after they were added to the group. Every scientist, technician and even support staff including base doctors possess at least one sidearm. That's the base policy. In case of intruder presence or full-blown attack, they are given permission to shoot on sight and shoot to kill. Quite extreme isn't it?

Which also means the base personnel must receive at least some form of self-defense art and how to aim and shoot. If you feel like learning more, then you can put a request for further trainings of different martial arts offered by the on-base military officers. Since the military is international on the base, you have a wide variety of how-to-get-your-ass-kicked by the soldiers stationed around the island.

Of course, we just called it the "Fight Club". I, myself is actually learning Israeli Krav Maga, one type of Chinese Martial Art that I didn't bother pronouncing it and Close Quarter Armed Combat (CQAC). Training in that three types of fighting since I was twelve after I was nearly mauled to death by a test animal gone rogue.

More like gangbanged by three dogs that belonged to Project **Cerberus**.

Out of that three styles, I was unusually good at CQAC. It involves knifes, and any things that you can find in front of you such as house hold items, office stationeries like stapler, calculator and heck even data pad. Part of me believes that my eidetic memory is instrumental in memorizing and anticipating moves of my opponents. As for using everyday objects as lethal weapons, I just find it amusing to hurl scissors and staplers. Watching too much Jackie Chan movies would encourage you a lot.

There is one time when another fellow scientist's mutated bee escaped from his lab and headed straight toward me when I was comparing statistics on my data pads and I have no choice but to squash that gigantic fist-sized bee between my data pads.

And let me tell you, that bee started releasing some kind of acid fume that ended ruining my data pads. I only got a first degree burns on my hands when I tried to swat them with my hands. Breathing in that fume would have liquefied my lungs.

Strapping my handgun to my right thigh, I remember how much I wanted a Desert Eagle Mark XIX instead of my current USP Elite. The Elite is a fine piece of sidearm but I wanted firepower. But civilians aren't getting a 50 cal.

That doesn't stop me from sending complaints/requests to the head of the facility. Spamming both the suggestion box and e-mail inbox. Probably ended annoying the shit out of that guy.

Anyway, I arrive at my lab and find that there is no one there yet. Which is exactly what I want. I always wake up 0450 in the morning and work out for about an hour and a half. Practice my fighting styles and whatnot. Then take a shower, get dressed and then put on my lab coat. Initialize my lab equipments and get ready for the day. All the preparations finished just thirty minutes before my official working hour. So, what did I do in that half hour? Loiter around the base of course, and keep in touch with the new things.

At first there were only biology labs, military garrisons and farms. And then the base started to expand and labs belonging to other fields of science popped out. Cutting edge weapon R&D labs, robotics, aeronautics and cybernetics were a few of them. I guess the island provided anonymity and security from the outside world. Basically, it became a little paradise for the scientists and a scientific mecca. Any technology unorthodox or unconventional, the island is the test bed. Like Area 51, except in the Pacific Ocean instead of the Mojave Desert. But Area 51 projects are gradually moved to this island and the infamous base is nothing more than a conspiracy-fueled glorified base.

So, **the Hive** grew deeper and wider, like its counterpart from the movie, **the Hive** also has its own AI. Three in fact. One military and two scientific.

Walking along the endless corridors of the facility, I saw a few of the labs that are active which mean they are from all-night shift. Actually, the facility is 24/7, only day shift and night shift separate the scientists from going nuts. I am usually on the day shift and only on some occasions, night shift.

**X-X-X**

Right now, I was hoping that I could catch up with my close friend, Leslie. Leslie Huntington. Like me, she was also recruited at young age but her affinity is high energy physics and weapon engineering. She and only a few other really get along with me. She would belittle my biology and I in turn get back at her field of science. It was all good and fun. She has her own army of scientists, technicians, engineers and support staffs. I have my own. We would share each other findings and discuss about it even if our fields are different but when it comes to the fusion between technology and organic. Well that's where we shine.

Approaching her lab, I can clearly see her waving in the air with both hands while standing in the middle of her spacious lab. Outsiders would clearly think she has gone bonker but not many from outside knows that almost every lab are equipped with haptic holo-emitters. They are usually in privacy mode which means without a pair of special contact lenses or glasses you can't see the images. Pretty neat trick that continue to fuel the paranoid traditions of **the Hive** facility. Even if you got the means to view the holo-images, you still need to input the correct frequency, connect and sync with the holo-emitters themselves. For security reasons again, it was implemented throughout the facility sacrificing ease of access and convenience.

I wave at her from the glass windows but she was apparently drowning in the sea of holo-light. Only banging at the door and buzzing then she takes notice of me.

Entering her lab, I was first met with the sight of Styrofoam coffee cups, Mars wrappers and crumbled papers littered all over the floor. Very normal scene of every scientists' lab. She went a bit further than the others. Styrofoam cups are convenient and all but when she starts getting serious, she would bring out the big guns by using beakers and flasks as coffee mugs.

I, on the other hand, was very weary of caffeine-based products.

"Still thinking that coffee is a big conspiracy to make people use drugs, that caffeine is the gateway to narcotics, Parker." Leslie started.

Yeah, she's also a few who knows my real name. She refused to use a fake name or the "Employee Name" as the scientists called it. I gave her a few suggestions until she relented on "Ada Lovelace", an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for working on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.

"Hey! Everyone's entitled to their own opinions." I shoot back, taking out my contact lenses and synching with the emitters to view the holograms.

"What do you think?"

"I think you did it. Tell me you did it."

"Fuck yeah, I did it." She replied haughtily.

"So, what? Huntington mass driver/railgun is ready."

"You betcha. 172 years after the first electromagnetic gun made by Birkeland, I have made a practical and viable electromagnetic-based railgun. And powerful too." Leslie walks toward the coffee machine holding a beaker in one hand, probably using it as a mug. "You want some?" She asks lifting her beaker towards me.

"Nah, I'm good." Still busy checking the numbers.

"You tested the gun yet?"

"Yeah, just yesterday. With a 50 kg slug at 19 km/s producing 2.2 tonnes TNT equivalent of kinetic energy. Pretty cool huh. By the way, where the hell have you been last week? Busy in the Sim Theatre?"

I freeze and suddenly remember that I too has finished my project a week ago. Giving that particular project so much of my time since I, first accepted to work here.

Project **High Hope**; the techno-organic nanite. One could say the entire island was devoted to this project. The Holy Grail of Humanity.

Fuck me sideways, how could I fucking forget about that. It's going to be a world-changing technology. Assuming it will be revealed to the public. Of course, I didn't make it from the scratch. It's the result of hundreds of geniuses collaborating with sweat, blood and other excrements. Me, Leslie, the old guy with hentai addiction, that woman with disgusting habit of gurgling water and drinking said gurgled water and so many more scientists, biologists, engineers and so on have contributed to this ever since the true nature of the virus was revealed.

Not to get cocky, 90% of the work was already done for us by the aliens. We just filled in some blanks, added the technology aspect to the organic and made sure it doesn't go rogue when we test it out… later this evening.

Shit, shit, shit. I'm gonna be the presenter of the project in front of hundreds of people including the military brass from all over the entire fricking world.

Because of finishing the project, I was given a week R&R to do whatever the fuck I want.

On the island. (Freezing mind you. Gulf of Alaska is never California.)

With a group of armed escorts.

Slave driving paranoid bastard.

I would bet one of my testicles and first-born child and say it is that overall manager of our projects, Ricardo Richie. Or Richie Ricardo. Nobody cares anyway.

He got a problem with me being the youngest person to ever land this kind of job with the level of security clearance.

Well before I got here, he was the youngest for about half a decade then I arrived and kind of stole his thunder or something. At least that's what he believes and always there to pick on my mistakes.

Not to mention, I got 'ZD-27' security clearance the moment I touched down on the island. Now my clearance is bumped up to ULTRA in seven years and there are only three more levels (LUNA, COSMIC & MAJESTIC). MAJESTIC's the highest. Hell, not even the President knows about ZD-27 level projects.

My thought process was suddenly interrupted when a burning sensation became apparent on my mind. I jump away when I realized that the hot coffee beaker was being pressed against my elbow.

"What the fuck, Les?" Rubbing my elbow and scowling at her stupid face.

"Hey you were a million miles away and you haven't answered my question yet. So where were you last week?"

Only three words were needed to say. And it's not I Love You.

Next thing I know she was jumping up and down and running around the lab. Which of course gives me the great view of her rack jiggling and there is no lab coat to obscure from the scrumptious visual feast. And that tight tank tops of her is leaving nothing to my imagination.

"Many say you have great tits, and I most certainly concur but that ass of yours is no slouch either." I quip and she stops in the middle of her victory dance.

Blushing beet red and then suddenly turning into a scowl and started chasing me with… is that a meat cleaver. How the hell does she even has that lying around?

"Calm your tits Leslie, I was just complimenting you, jeez!" Maybe it was not a good choice using 'tits' so the chasing started again.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry. Please, can we just relax and be civilized."

"Civilized? Funny coming from the mouth of a pervert."

"You will get no argument from me sweet heart. I'm who I am after all. You gotta take an entire package. And just so you know, my package rocked your world if I remember correctly."

"Oh, please it was just a one-night stand and it's been what… four months ago?"

"I don't know. More like four consecutive night stands. Speaking of four, I've been doing some R&R last week after the project has been finalized and guess whom I met during that week?"

"Talk fast Parker, I want to know more about the project."

"Oh, it will come. As for who, they're the triplets from the Botany Division. Madison, Marilyn and Moira, the three she-devils. Great gals."

"You mean the "Slut Triplets". I don't think the adjective 'Great' belongs anywhere near their name. They've been whoring themselves with, well almost everyone. Soldiers, technicians, professors and I would not be surprised if they make a move to the janitors as well."

"Nevertheless, it was one heck of a week ploughing three of them. The first foursome ever. They nearly sucked my life out and I nearly died of exhaustion but can't let this opportunity slipped away, can't I?"

"Besides, Catherine II played interspecies hanky panky with her horse and people still called her Catherine the Great."

"Well when you put it like that, I can't argue with history. So, chop, chop and start spilling."

"Ok, ok. You know how we are incorporating technological aspect along the original organic part of the nanite." I was replied with an 'uh-huh'. Great!

"It was both easy and hard. The easy part is surprisingly the supposed hard part. I mean the concepts of closest thing resembling the nanotechnology was first discussed by physicist Richard Feynman back in 1959. The technology was described as the miracle machines crawling and spreading through the air, obeying every command and fulfilling your every task but making something smaller than microbes.

It was met with many difficulties but when we discovered about the true origin of 'Z-TRA_01' being the organic counterpart of the theorized nano machines. Making the technological version became so much easier."

"When we fused them together, that's where we started experiencing problems. Like a patient's body rejecting a new organ, the organic nanites (organites) started attacking the new guest. Tried to assimilate them but ended destroying when the material is not hardy enough. But when foreign nanites are tough and withstanding, they tried to eliminate them and ended in failure or mutual annihilation. So, the greater part of 38 years was about making the organic nanites to accept the command of not attacking the technological nanites, our nanites."

"Understood so far. Please continue." Leslie returns, leaning against her lab table while hugging her own chest, making her assets more pronounced.

I take notice of that new development but let me tell you something. When I'm in the middle of explaining my scientific achievement, something which I'm passionate about, even naked women writhing and rubbing lotion to each other is not going to faze me a bit. They got to try harder than that. So, I continue my explanation.

"Being a genius that I am, I filled in the blind spots that no other thought of it before, do some adjusting here and there, add some, remove some until it reached the image of perfection. If you want to know my exploits in details, you gotta wait like any others. I'm doing the presentation and demonstration of the finished product tonight. A lot of people are flying in for my show tonight."

"Ohhh, I can't wait to get my hands on that toy of yours Parker. Imagine the endless possibilities of such in my hand. My weapon designs will be phenomenal, their firepower and efficiency unrivaled. I mean the nanites could produce any prototype I can think of."

"So that's why you were bouncing around the lab earlier. I didn't realize you were anticipating it a lot."

"Oh, you have no idea. In fact, now that I realized, I would like to give you something. Just think of it as early present between friends." And she heads toward and reaches for the locker at the end of the lab and returning with the silver box, probably a weapon case.

"This is something you always wanted and frankly I was annoyed with your bitching. So, open it and take a look."

Following her suggestion, I open the case and take a peak and my heart skip a beat as I find my soulmate in the form of two Brushed Chrome Mark XIX Desert Eagle .50 AE.

Immediately I close the weapon case and rush towards my now best of best friends and give her a long searing kiss on her lips and not even caring about the coffee taste lingering on those soft pink lips.

"Thank you." I mutter softly and she was visibly stunned.

"Um yeah, ahem, you are welcome." Her hands fidgeting together.

"I made some modifications to the Desert Eagle and I'm not so sure that if it can still be called Mark XIX."

"What do you mean?" I ask, puzzled expression slowly creeping up my face. I can't see any modifications. At least on the surface. Though it's a bit heavier than I thought.

"Well .50 AE has magazine capacity of 7 rounds plus 1 in the firing chamber. I made the ammo compact, granting extra two more rounds. And the ammo is nearly twice the mass of the usual one (630 grains instead of 325 grains). So, nine rounds in the stick magazine plus one in the firing chamber, totaling at ten rounds." My face was being split apart by my ginormous smile etching across my stupid looking face.

"With the muzzle velocity of 470 m/s, the gun packs quite a punch from average 2.04 kJ to 4.51 kJ of muzzle energy. That's more powerful than most assault rifles and the bullets are jacketed hollow point (JHP) rounds so you don't want to be on the receiving end ever."

"God damn! How is that even possible? I mean making the .50 AE ammo compact is believable but increasing the firepower? Is it even safe to use? I'm thankful for your gift but I don't want the gun exploding in my hand."

At that comment, she looks at me with mock-hurt expression.

"Please I would not have become a weapon master without making my weapons safe. All you need to know is that the gun is made with slightly sturdier frame than usual, maybe some composite elements, making it a tad heavier. Besides, us girls gotta keep secrets, don't you think?

You know how my railgun could go farther and reach hundred-kiloton yield. Making those atom bombs that dropped way back in World War II look like fire crackers in comparison." She said nonchalantly, shuffling her feet.

I shudder at the mere thought of warships (even if they are wet naval ships) and orbital satellites equipped with her railguns.

"And also, here is the shoulder holster for your guns along with extra two magazines for each of the Eagles and if you haven't noticed yet there's also detachable laser sight and all you need to do now is to give a name to these babies."

"Hmph, that's right since you have upgraded it. So how about Mark XXII Punisher."

"Well it is up to you." Leslie commented as she helps putting on the shoulder holster complete with the guns along with extra magazines, laser sight, suppressor and muzzle break.

"How about the Elite?" Leslie asked pointing at the said weapon hanging on my hips.

"I'm gonna keep it purely for sentimental values. It's not a bad weapon. With (18+1) 9mm rounds and a complimentary new version of KM 4000 combat knife, it is pretty badass in its own ways. And it's not like I can walk around the base with my shiny new guns. At least not yet."

"Um, I won't forget about this and I will return the favor. In fact," I wonder if I should grant her first access. Ok why the hell not?

"Hey how about I put in some words to let you have first access to the nanites?" I asked, closing the now empty weapon case.

"Huh… W-What?" She seems puzzled at first then comprehension crossed her face and before I could repeat my sentence, she was dashing at me with never before seen speed.

Despite having six feet height and 80 kg mass, I nearly fell over when her comparatively petite body slammed into me.

After half a minute of intense bone crushing session, she relents her hold over me. Slightly embarrassed of herself at the antics, she unruffles her seemingly undisturbed tank tops.

"Thanks a lot. Finally, I can rub Whitman in the face with the nanite."

"Oh yeah, I heard that name before. Some sort of rival to your work?"

"Yep! While I work mainly on kinetic-based weaponry, he is solely devoted his life on energy-based weaponry."

"You are serious?" I ask, finding it interesting. Who wouldn't? Energy weapons are wet dream of people like me.

"Definitely. His laser defense array is noteworthy. The Pulsed Laser Aegis Point Defense Grid is made up of at least two dozen laser emitters that is scattered around the ship, rumored to be equipped on the new Gerald R. Ford supercarrier in 2025 or maybe earlier.

The laser emitters are capable of tracking, disabling and destroying targets such as drones, missiles, fighter jets from at least one hundred miles (160 km) away. He claimed that his lasers have a hundred percent accuracy rating. He also said that his laser is capable of targeting and destroying the Apollo 11's leftover lunar lander by burning a hole through the fuel tank if his weapon has enough power and hopefully doesn't burn out after single use."

"Wow that's quite powerful, I bet not everything is by his effort." I ask, considering 7 out of 10 technologies that are developed here on this island was gained through deciphering the virus' genetic memory. The nanotech included.

"Of course, it was not entirely made by him. But he's developing a powerful laser cannon to replace the 5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun from _Arleigh Burke_-class destroyer. Supposed to produce at least seven and a half times the firepower of Mark 45."

"That would be at least 70 MJ of muzzle energy." It sounds unbelievable though most of what has achieved on this island can be said the same.

"It's quite powerful and their departments been testing for quite a few days ever since the new Deuterium + Helium-3 (D + He-3) fusion reactor was installed." She replied lightly while cleaning a speck of dirt from under her nail.

Huh that's entirely new to me. Why didn't I hear about it sooner?

"Hey, you seem to be a bit slow on the latest things that's happening around here." Leslie speaks up grabbing a chair to sit down though I refuse her offer of a seat for me.

"What can I say? Last week I was kind of busy drowning in sea of pussies." I reply and she just looks at me in disgust.

"You are one disgusting bastard you know that. With your witty remarks and one-liners. Just how many people have you pissed off on this island or from your own team?"

"First of all, the word 'bastard' implies that I'm a child with parents that are not married to each other. Which you are wrong because my parents are happily married together. Second, I'm disgusting… in a good way. As for witty remarks, ladies loved me and I'm proud of that." I shoot back at her, smugness etching on my face.

"In any case, I was next in line for my railgun testing after Whitman finished his field tests. By the time I have my turn, there will be three more of those new fusion reactors plugged in to the main power distribution system. More juice for me."

"It's that why I'm feeling faint seismic vibrations this morning."

"Expect it to intensify later. They are not just expanding the base to accommodate four reactors but also to add a new R&D lab as if there are not enough of those already."

"I thought seismic activities were supposed to be a thing of past since the engineers are using the nuclear-powered lasers."

Nuclear-powered lasers are not only powerful and quick but also leaves the tunnel walls smooth like glass. Intense heat and all. Hell, the engineers and programmers got creative and they designed a better one with the ability to carve out your own desired shape and size of a bunker. I gotta tell you watching that new laser works is like experiencing a live art show. Dangerous but definitely worth it. Its precision is unrivaled. I and a few others had already made a miniature Stonehenge and Giza Pyramid replicas.

And a 10 feet tall 'Monolith' from Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey. That was just freaking awesome. Nerd-gasm at its finest.

"I'm no geologists and if I have to guess I think it has to do with hot lines and epicenters, ugh no idea. Go ask those guys." She says, kicking a few styrofoam cups on the floor.

"Ok, so I guess I will see you this evening and thanks again for these babies," I say, pointing my Brushed Chrome Mk. XXIIs which are hanging in my shoulder holsters.

"I'm gonna go prepare for the presentation and probably take a shower later." I get up from leaning against a lab table, putting my lab coat over to hide my not so legal for civilian, .50 cals.

**X-X-X**

**~Later that evening, 90 minutes before the Presentation**

I was sweating like a pig despite standing in the middle of an air-conditioned lab and I already have taken at least two showers in the morning and after lunch. It's going to be simple. The VIPs and VVIPs are to arrive at 0500 PM then the dinner start an hour later and my presentation after that. I've already prepped a few topics that while related to my presentation, it would still make the majority of the audience puke their guts out. What? Trying to keep it light. No need to be stiffy and tense. Why not enjoy a few jokes while we are at it?

Standing proudly on my desk is an innocuous looking vial that suspiciously looks like T-Virus vial. You know the one with blue liquid in the DNA helical-shaped glass tube. I don't know if it's supposed to be funny or cool.

While the T-Virus from Resident Evil looked blue, the T-ON is silver gray in color and I could've sworn that it was bubbling a bit.

Yanking me from my thought process is the drilling that is being done not so far from my lab. The seismic shocks are becoming more frequent and already a few of my test tubes and petri dishes have broken when they fell from the shelf.

"Damn I can't stop pacing and I'm pretty sure by the end of the day, my feet will be digging another hole in the lab floor without using the lasers.

Then another big shock vibrated my lab and then I hear a *Crack* Wait a minute I already kept my glass wares securely in the cabinets, even my souvenir mug was kept inside my desk drawer. Then realization hits me like a brick to my face when I realize that the only glass ware there is in the room currently exposed is the freaking 'T-ON' vial on my desk.

No, no, no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!

I tried to scream but the words coming out of my mouth were lost in the background when the alarms started blaring and the lights suddenly turning angry red. And I heard the words that would seal my fate.

"**EMERGENCY PROTOCOL #00303638-ALPHA IN EFFECT. BIO HAZARD DETECTED. IMPLEMENTING QUARANTINE PROCEDURE TO CONTAIN FOREIGN CONTAMINANT. SHUTTING DOWN AIR SUPPLY. VENTALITION SHAFTS SEALED. PURGE SEQUENCE INITIALIZED."** Came the monotonous voice of the Hive's AI, lovingly named the Red Queen.

"Shit that's Red Queen and fuuuck, the Purge sequence is activated." I quickly ran towards the broken vial and the stuff is already leaking through the cracks and its roaming all over the floor and suddenly it stopped and seemingly looked at me as if the goo has eyes.

All of a sudden, the goo started to tense and as if was being heated. For a while, I desperately hoped it must be some kind of self-destruct mechanism. But my hopes were squashed when it transforms into gaseous/particle air-borne state and swarm around my body like a hive of angry bees and the last thing I felt is the sensation of tiny pinpricks dotting all over my body and I was out and my consciousness slipped away.

**X-X-X**

**10 minutes later…**

I was woken up by the sound of banging and shouting from the outside. Crap! I felt like 112 degrees. My body's on fire and anything short of submerging myself into ice water gonna do anything good. But I managed to stand up and walked towards the eight-inch thick bazooka-proof glass pane where the banging is coming.

"I'm coming, douchebags," limping across the lab groggily.

Standing in front of the thick glass pane was Leslie, as expected. Her face blank and stony. Beside her was the real douchebag, Richie Ricardo or the other way around. His face, especially his hair is like a sewer rat that just taken a nice long bath in a pool of shit and piss. Smells like one too, judging by how Leslie is standing separately from him and cupping her nose and gaging under the pretense of coughing. It's understandable how many scientists are too deep in their work, that they forgot to take a shower but this guy is another matter altogether. He is scared of water like cats freaking out from the cucumber.

"What the hell happened Ray?" Leslie asked through the voice intercom.

"I fucked up, Les. I was nervous and pacing and I took out the vial from its case and when the ground shook, it broke… damn I fucked it up really bad and now the Purge Sequence is running and now," Looking at the countdown which is only seven minutes left.

"Shit. Seven minutes and I'm toast." Cupping my face and rubbing my sleepy eyes.

"Don't be such a baby and stay positive, I'm running override on the doors and so don't you dare give up on me Ray Parker." Leslie shot back a sharp retort.

"Please, we all know that's not gonna happen. These doors are sealed and sealed forever until the bio hazard is extinguished and the AIs are controlling these doors, so you got no chance." My voice starting to waver and croak. Perspiring heavily and the air supply being cut is not helping either.

"You know the irony is, I was actually the one who redesigned the Purge Sequence and now I'm the one who's trapped behind the wrong side of the door."

Every lab and storage rooms have disintegration protocols. Usually with extreme heat by fuel-air explosives. But I found a better way from the memory databases.

Much more destructive and hotter way.

Plasma flame. Super-hot plasma flooding the entire lab, destroying everything organic and non-organic at 10,000 degree Celsius. More than enough to do the job.

My bone dust would be fucking history after the room is thoroughly cleansed. Even the room might not survive. That's why 10 seconds before the Purge, five-inch thick hafnium-tantalum carbide blast shields will be cordoning the lab from the other labs.

"Born alone die alone, I guess." I muttered softly, not caring if it can be heard through the intercom.

"You, stay put. I will be right back." Leslie ordered and disappeared through the corridors.

When she was out of sight, another person who was there approached in front of me on the other side of the pane.

I was panting and wheezing hard by now with the oxygen level going dangerously low and other scientists and base personals started crowding in front of my lab. Sort of like witnesses to an execution.

By plasma hell-fire.

How poetic?

"Richie?" I managed to speak though my fever is getting worse. Probably my immune system fighting and losing against the nanites.

"You have totally fucked it up, man." He said with not so genuine concern and sympathy.

"You are all over the base chatter. Acting unprofessional, reckless behaviors that could destroy the planet. You are causing the organization a great deal of embarrassment."

"Look." I was near collapsing to the floor. My eye balls are rolling and feels like they are going to burst anytime. The nanites are doing something to me. But also, my anger is spiking, the last thing is I need is his faux sympathy and reassurance in front of other people.

Yes, I fucked up.

Yes, I endangered the entire island and not to mention the world.

But I'm paying for it. That doesn't make me any less angry at Richie the fucking asshole.

"Don't worry." Richie's face still looked soft but I know his charade and he's using my predicament as a way to gain publicity in front of other scientists.

That made me mad but he continued his talk anyway.

"We will take care of your parents. They will be set for life."

"The best thing for you to do is find some nice, dark, quiet corner and… just die."

Oh, I'm raving mad now. "Just die. You think I've got **"CUNT"** written on my forehead?" I shouted at him through the thick glass and pointed at my forehead for emphasis.

Looking at the countdown, only thirty seconds left before my immolation.

"Maybe you're right. We all got to die sometime right?"

"Yeah." He answered with a slight grin forming on his mouth.

"So, I'll just die," I trailed off and started banging the glass pane with both my hands. I knew it's a vain effort but if I'm gonna die, I might as go down swinging and bring that son of a bitch down with me. No longer caring about the consequences. They would probably nuke the island to kingdom come anyway if the containment fails.

19 seconds left.

I was using all the ounces of effort and the last vestige of adrenaline was helping and for some reason my punching got stronger and stronger.

15 seconds left.

Richie was backing a bit while I continue to break the glass pane and to my surprise, a teeny tiny crack started to appear. How the hell? These glasses are supposed to survive explosives.

13 seconds left.

And then I saw her, Leslie running towards my lab and I stopped my punching and just for last three seconds before the blast doors close, I gave her one last look and motioned with my bloodied hands using sign language.

"Thank You for Everything, Leslie Huntington."

She replied back, looking helpless and lost just before the blast doors cover my lab.

"You are Welcome, Ray Parker."

10 seconds left.

WARNING! WARNING! THIS SECTION OF THE FACILITY IS UNDERGOING PURGING PROCEDURE IN Nine…,

Eight…,

Seven…,

Six…,

Five…,

Four…,

Three…,

Looking back at my bloodied and broken hands. I suddenly took notice of my wounds stopped bleeding and healing itself at rapid rate. Before I can wonder about this new development, it was too late.

**Two…, One…, Zero.**

**LOCALIZED PURGING PROCESS COMMENCING!**

The last thing I remembered was fiery flame erupting from everywhere and a very brief but intense flash of pain then I knew no more.

Sweet Embrace of Death has finally claimed one Ray Parker.

**X-X-X**

Suddenly I woke up, breathless and still screaming my lungs out with my eyes shut for what seem like an eternity. Maybe this is hell.

My consciousness slipped away and it continued for about two more times until I realized something odd about my surroundings because my eyes opened briefly and realized the very place that I am now.

This is the cliff located in the south-east part of the island. Where I would usually spend time when I got the chance to go upstairs. From this cliff, I could see the Pacific Ocean and its waves, if I'm lucky; a family of whales and dolphins or just some flowers that grow in the freezing temperature.

Not to mention the entrance to the submarine pen is right beneath the cliff and you can see the outline of the military subs approaching the island.

This cliff is where I come for some sunlight. Only this time it was dim and desolate.

"**YOU DONE CONTEMPLATING!"**

"What? Who are you? …Are you Death?" I asked, looking everywhere and finding none of the source, the voice is seemingly coming from every direction.

"**AREN'T YOU A QUICK ONE?"** The same voice spoke up again.

"**BUT NO. I'M NOT DEATH. THOUGH MANY SENTIENT BEINGS CALL ME BY MANY NAMES."**

"Hold on a sec, I'm still dead right."

"**IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING. BUT THE ESSENCE YOU CALLED SOUL IS, IN A WAY IMMORTAL. ALL THE SOULS ARE."**

"Ok. Where am I? I know this is the cliff that I usually hang around when I'm free but really… where exactly am I?

"**THE VEIL, THE HIGHWAY, THE IN-BETWEEN… YOU TAKE A PICK. WHAT YOU ARE SEEING HERE IS THE PROJECTION OF YOUR OWN MIND. NOT EVERYONE'S THE SAME."**

"I will settle for the **"IN-BETWEEN"**. And I will just call you the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** since you are being vague with almost everything."

"So, what? You gonna pass judgement on me and decide on whether to send me hell or heaven. I'm not dreaming for the latter. God knows I've done a lot of stuffs in my lab."

"**NO, I'M NOT JUDGING. YOU ARE YOUR DEEDS IN THE END. THE REASON IS SIMPLE; I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE."**

"What's the _catch_? There's always something, isn't there?" I asked, wrapping my hands around my chest against the cold breeze that exists only in my mind. Realizing that fact, I just will it away and suddenly it became bearable.

"**NO **_**CATCH**_**. YOU ARE JUST AHEAD OF YOUR TIME. YOU MAY BE DEAD IN THIS REALITY BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING IN OTHERS. YOU CHOOSE WELL FOR YOUR NEXT JOURNEY."**

"Surprise me." I requested and I could feel the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** raised its eyebrows at me. "But any reality and life I end up; I want a life with a purpose."

"**A MEAGER REQUEST. IT'S ACCEPTABLE."**

"**YOU SURPRISED ME MORTAL. WHEN OTHERS ARE IN THE SAME POSTION AS YOU ARE, THEY CAN'T STOP ASKING TO FULFIL THEIR WISHES. I OF COURSE IS NOT ONE TO FULFIL A WISH THAT EASILY. FOR YOU I AM GOING TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION."**

"Well the fact that you're giving me a second chance to live is the very wish that anyone can hope for."

"**CORRECT. NOW ASK FOR A WISH. CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WELL MORTAL OR VISUALIZE IN YOUR MIND. YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS."**

Shiiiiiiiit. Ok, think fast. I already have intellect but intellect alone is useless in a fight that would be inevitable in the future if things are to be engaging. Somehow, I'm sure of it. So, I want to be, no, I need to be a Renaissance man. Many thoughts flashed across my mindscape. Mostly what I have done during last week before I died. The foursome with the triplets, but the most memorable thing aside from sex is the near 24/7 gaming. The Grand Theft Auto V Online, Resident Evil, Halo, Call of Duty and the Mass Effect and their DLCs. Images are flooding across my mind and I can't pin point what exactly I want from them.

"**TIME'S UP MORTAL!"**

Crap, crap, crap. I haven't chosen anything yet.

Damn I wasted a perfectly good wish.

But before I was yanked out from the **"IN-BETWEEN"**, the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** made a decision by the last ever thought I have as a wish.

And that very thought was on a particular guy with a god complex and a pair of trademark sunglasses that he wears even in situations that seem inappropriate, even in the middle of the night.


	2. 01: I Forget Where We Were

**Author Note ****— I write for fun and practice. If there's any mistake whatsoever please forgive me and I'll try my best next time. Thanks!**

**Chapter 1: I Forget Where We Were**

Have you ever crossed the barriers between the realities or universes? Oh, who cares? I ain't a dimensional physicist. Nonetheless skipping to the point, do you know how it feels to jump to another universe? Well you don't but I do and now shut up and let me tell you a bit about it.

Well, how should I put this? Ok, it is freaking indescribable, yet describable to the extent of one's perception and understanding. It's fulfilling yet empty. You are here and there too. You feel like perishing like an ageing black hole and then again thriving like a star in its prime. Ok, maybe I becoming a bit carried away so let's just leave that philosophical stuffs for another time.

For me, it's exhilarating and frightening. It's like you are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It's like tasting. No! More like experiencing a slice of the cosmos.

But it ended abruptly as it started instantly. Then I was in a sensation of falling down for about 2 seconds.

And ***SPLASH!***

Oh no, I'm not in the water but rather sticky and slimy liquid puddle.

Smell bad, definitely. Taste worse, you can count on it. I don't even want to guess what that liquid is. It could be a large puddle of cum or menstrual blood.

It is pretty dark all around though, like the lights are being dimmed on purpose or someone's not paying electric bill.

Anyway, I got up from my prone position, my face still covered with the foul smelling and vomit-inducing liquid from the floor. The first thing I realized is my attire, gone are my usual lab clothes with black cotton T-Shirt and black jeans. Instead it was all black and leather, which I don't mind and some type of futuristic looking leather which if you really look closely, you can see the subtle yet distinctive square-shaped patterns that pretty much cover the entire clothe. Well by clothe, I mean the black leather (ankle-length) trench coat with black undershirt, leather yet again, except with zip-up, then the leather pants and calf-length leather boots without lacing, instead zipped up from the ankle then a belt around my waist and also wearing leather gloves. This feel so familiar, this particular dress ringing bells in the back of my mind but I'm still disoriented from my transition.

I can feel my guns strapped in my shoulder holster. And I realized that I am wearing sunglasses when I tried to wipe my face. Rectangular black sunglasses at that. Ok this is getting irritating. Not because everything I wear is black but the particular sense of déjà vu is gnawing at the base of my skull. My hands roaming my face and noticed that it feels different. Like the very facial structure is wrong and I feel a bit taller, maybe a couple of inches higher.

Then sudden thoughts popped at the front of my mind and I tried searching for a mirror to see my face. Luckily, I found a broken piece of glass on the floor along with other trashes like broken bottles, plastic wrappers… and used condoms. The undiluted horror struck at the length of my spine as I looked at the glass shard and recognized the face that is looking back at me. And it is definitely not my face.

Because if I'm not hallucinating or still suffering the side effects of the trans-universal travel then this very face that appears on this shard of glass belonged to one Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil games or one of his variation, specifically from Resident Evil 5. The one where his body was half under the molten lava and he was pulling down the chopper with his tentacles or leeches or whatever those things are. Yeah, the look, the attires and everything and I'm inside him or more correctly I'm him. Or at least in the possession of his physical body.

The fuck? Is the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** playing a practical joke on me? Though I'm not really complaining, a bit freaked out maybe. Other than that, I know that Albert Wesker is way cooler and badass looking than my old body. Not to mention, he's one handsome babe magnet.

With his dirty-blonde slick back hairstyle, sharp angular aristocratic facial structure and the perpetual brooding/serious face. Tall and well-muscled yet lean body structure.

But how?

The last thing I remember was I didn't make a clear choice on what I wanted. Wait maybe the last thing I thought and visualized was the actually what the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** took it as the answer. Then, it might be true when my mind was on high speed memory lane and the last moment before my time and my thought must be on the characters from the Resident Evil series especially Wesker as I find him badass.

I also remembered that I was aiming to get plethora of skills aside from intellect. By the look of things, I may have more than skills of Wesker but also his memories, experiences and powers like his viral-granted super strength and more.

Also, his proficiencies in the fields of science such as virology, bioengineering, martial arts, police procedure from his time as undercover S.T.A.R.S. Captain and so on.

If I have to list his powers and skills, then it would be a plenty. I mean like, there are things I don't even know about.

Yes, I will evaluate myself later but I pretty much know what it's going to be.

Standing 6' 3" (191 cm) or to be precise, 6' 4" (since the boots' heels are at least an inch high) and weighing about 198 lb/90 kg, I straightened up myself and immediately made a threat assessment from my surrounding on pure reflex. Not something I would do, considering my nose is usually buried inside a book or a tablet.

Hmm, already Wesker's skills are already in work. Good. I still don't know, where am I? Specifically, what universe or time period I'm in? For now, I saw what looks like a back alley of some neighborhood, damp and dark of course and a few two-story buildings that could be described as warehouses.

For a brief moment, I thought I might be in the Resident Evil universe. But that uncertainty is clarified, when one of the warehouse's gates open and two shady people came out. By the look of it, they are armored and carrying guns. I immediately recognized the two, or rather their species. The one on the right is a Turian and the left one is a Batarian.

Realization whispered to my mind that I am now in the Mass Effect universe. From the looks of thing from my surrounding and judging by the observable horizon, it's not so hard to guess that my sweet ass was dumped on the Omega station, Aria T'Loak's 44.7-kilometer-long or tall, kingdom in the heart of the Terminus Systems.

Sweet. Mass Effect is my second favorite free world adventure game, the first being the GTA series.

And of course, the two aliens took notice of me and started walking towards me, a bit hesitant in their steps maybe. I can understand that, Albert Wesker has an aura of darkness and danger that he manifests around himself. Nonetheless the two thugs, or the mercenaries more likely, are approaching and we all know how that's gonna end.

My hands are already flexing and in the process of balling. My legs spreading a bit for battle situation at moment's notice and my **Mark XXII 'Punishers'** that somehow still with me tucked snuggly in my shoulder holster, are literally begging me to draw from their confines and use them on the two approaching mercenaries.

Maybe I will. After all I would like to know how my Punishers, heavily upgraded 21st century weapons fare against the 22nd fictional universe technology.

"_What are you doing here, Human?"_ The Batarian spat out with vehemence behind his voice. His Turian buddy though, seems a bit agitated and clearly touching the butt of his sidearm.

I cocked my head to the side a bit, I heard the Batarian's guy gruff voice but don't really understand it. "Shit, language problem." I muttered. I may not understand exactly what he is saying since I don't have a translator implanted yet but I understood the stance and the line of inquiry. Though my face is perfectly blank, not showing any expressions or emotions at all as both of them are now approaching the same conclusion at me and before they have the chance to draw their weapons, I acted.

My eyes turned serpentine and glowed brightly with orange-red slits behind my sunglasses. Bright enough to be seen by the mercs even with the sunglasses covering them and used that distraction to _'Flash Step'_ across the few remaining steps between me and the mercs with my enhanced speed, catching them by surprise. I palmed the Batarian in the chest with viral-enhanced strength which hurled and slammed him to the warehouse's gate, leaving one big dent. I know that he's not dead yet his armor saving him.

I quickly whipped out one of my Punishers with inhuman reflex and to my slight surprise, a targeting reticle appears right in front of my eyes.

'_Maybe it's my sunglasses acting as a targeting HUD. But my guns are not connected with the glasses. Are they?'_

I quickly pushed that thought aside for later and unloaded one round towards the Turian merc and to my huge delight, the kinetic barrier didn't flare up as usual and allowed the 50-caliber jacketed hollow point round to pass through but the armor on the other hand proved to be a challenge as it fails to penetrate. So, I shot one more time, this time at his face with the accuracy of a true marksman.

And the round hit the visor, shattering it. I'm not sure whether the armor helmet includes inertia damper technology but when a high caliber bullets strike at the face from near point blank range, it is more than enough to snap the neck just from the kinetic backslash but I don't need to worry since it went through his left eye and the bullet expands as intended when it entered the target, shredding his bird brain box and exited from the back of the skull of the Turian merc. But to be sure, I unleashed another round right between his eyes, in case his bony face plate got in the way of the first shot, not that I believe it offered any protection from the .50 caliber monstrosity. So, another bullet entered from the front and exit the back, creating more mess. Majority of the Turian's grey matters splattering all over the floor.

By now the remaining Batarian is getting up slowly and reaching for his assault rifle but I just _Flash Step_ toward his position again and used my enhanced strength to stomp on his head, expelling gory stuffs and all of his four eyes from his eye sockets.

My right foot was sunk deep inside the Batarian's skull, but for some reasons I didn't feel anything from this very graphic act of violence. In fact, a part of me seems to enjoy it. Showing my powers and abilities to intimidate my aggressors.

*Especially the _'Flash Step'_. Using bursts of incredible speed, making myself move faster than the eye can track and brain can process, making it appear as if I have teleported from point to point.

Sure, I do some… Ok, many unorthodox experiments back in my universe but I have never killed anyone directly before. I never need or have to. With four out ten personals on base being soldiers, you don't need to do anything. Until now.

Well what's done is done though. Holstering back my Punisher, I took off my sunglasses to examine them closely but still can't find anything to indicate that the glasses are technological in nature. Also, the targeting reticles are gone now.

I put them back on and examined the two dead bodies in front of me.

And you bet your ass that I will be taking anything useful and interesting from them. So, the first item that I reached for is the omni-tool, the small matchbox-shaped device strapped around the wrist.

Just as I reach and touch it, a sudden but serene-sounding feminine voice emanated in the back of my head.

'_**EXTERNAL FOREIGN COMPUTING DEVICE DETECTED. DO YOU WISH TO ASSIMILATE IT?'**_

"What the fuck?" I jumped slightly away from the Batarian corpse and looked around for the source of the voice. "Who are you and where are you?" I'm still looking around, scrutinizing every details of the back alley I found myself in and yet failing to find anyone.

'_**APOLOGIES. I AM THE ARTIFICIAL GUIDANCE CONSTRUCT WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE TO ASSISST YOU IN ANY WAY I AM ABLE.'**_

Wait! I recognize that voice from my original universe. The island's one of the three AIs, a scientific one at that. Heck, we even call her the **'White Queen'**.

But how the hell is she with me? And what does she mean by 'the artificial guidance construct'? I will just ask her.

"Ok then, I assume that you are in my head like, in the form of a chip but how am I hearing you, it's there like some kind of cybernetic components that allow you to talk to me."

'_**SORRY. YOU MISUNDERSTOOD MY STATE OF EXISTENCE. NO, I AM NOT CONFINED IN A CHIP BUT RATHER INSIDE YOU.'**_

"But how?" Before I could ask for more, she gave me an answer that shook to my core.

'_**I EXIST ALONG WITH THE NANITES THAT ARE CIRCULATING IN YOUR BODY.'**_ She gave an answer simply with great patience behind her tone.

"WHAT?" Horror slowly coiling in the pit of my stomach.

"You mean the fucking nanites."

How? How is it even possible? The nanites that infected my body were incinerated and not to mention I'm in the body of Albert fucking Wesker in addition to being in another universe for crying out loud.

But I feel fine though and my body's immune system is not currently waging any war against the nanites or anything.

Maybe it's the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** again, after all he said he would send me like myself from before I die. I guess the nanites are a part of me. I also remember clearly when I got infected with the nanites. The nanites weren't exactly harming me, in fact they were healing my broken appendages.

Sure, I was feeling hot but I should have known that my biological system and the nanites are sort of going through the handshake procedures and fever can be one of the side effects.

That means I was technically murdered by my own people on a whim of paranoia.

Fucking marvelous.

Maybe that's why the **"IN-BETWEEN GUY"** was willing to give me a second chance.

'_If you are saying you are with my nanites then can you control them and in turn harm me?'_ I asked her mentally, no longer speaking out loud since she is in my body. In a literal sense.

She paused for about half a second, but for an AI, that might be an eternity.

'_**NO. ANYTHING THAT I WISH TO DO INVOLVING THE NANITES REQUIRE YOUR EXPRESS AUTHORIZATION EXCEPT IN LIFE THREATING SITUATIONS.'**_ She answered back reassuringly.

That certainly eased my mind. A bit.

'_Also, what do you mean by "artificial guidance construct"? Aren't you supposed to handle cyber warfare and such?'_ I thought to her to which she gave another shocking reply.

'_**IT IS CORRECT THAT I CAN HANDLE THE CYBER ASPECTS PERFECTLY. BUT YOU YOURSELF CAN ALSO ACCOMPLISH THE SAME WITH THE NANITES. AFTER ALL YOU ONLY HAVE THE DIRECT CONTROL OVER THE NANITES AND THEY ARE TECHNO-ORGANIC IN NATURE. THE NANITES ARE YOUR WILL AND THEY ARE MERELY YOUR INSTRUMENTS. ONLY WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I CAN ACCESS THEM. THAT IS THE REASON I INTRODUCED MYSELF AS A GUIDANCE CONSTRUCT.'**_

That means, aside from the powers and skills granted to me by the Prototype virus and also by possessing Albert Wesker's physical body, his memories and experiences, I am also capable of manipulating T-O nanites that are swimming in my bloodstream.

'_One more thing. How are you with me?'_ I mentally prodded her again.

'_**I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER TO THAT. I JUST AM. THOUGH THE LAST THING I REMEMBERED WAS…'**_ she stopped abruptly and I waited for her to finish her sentence.

I could feel her fidgeting like a child who was about to say something embarrassing to her parents. I also felt something. Is that shame, guilt perhaps maybe?

She continued and her tone softer than before. _**'THE LAST I REMEMBER WAS WHEN YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE PURGED ALONG WITH YOUR LAB. I WAS MERELY CURIOUS AND DECIDED TO CONNECT WITH THE NANITES IN YOUR BODY. THEY FOUGHT BACK AND THAT IS THE REASON YOUR FEVER SPIKED WAY BEYOND.**_

_**THE NANITES WERE IN ITS INFANCY AND THEY WERE FENDING OFF MY INTRUSION SO IT GAVE A SLIGHT REPRIEVE FOR YOUR BIOLOGICAL IMMUNE SYSTEMS TO RESIST AGAINST THE INTEGRATION. THE INTEGRATION PROCESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITHIN A FEW MINUTES. I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR YOUR PROLONGED AND UNNECESSARY SUFFERING. **_

_**AS I EXPLAINED TO YOU EARLIER, I STILL DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE NANITES AND ARE NOT IN ANYWAY UNDER MY INFLUENCE.'**_

Damn! It all make sense now. In a way she was a hitchhiker in my body and somehow managed to travel with me to this universe.

'_I can understand your curiosity but never try that again.'_ I could feel the sensation of nodding. _'Also, I forgive you for things you unintentionally caused to me.'_ To that she was relieved and I felt it again.

It's kind of interesting and yet weird to feel an AI showing expression and you're also feeling them.

'_So, let's start again. What's your name? What should I call you? My friends and I back home used to call you the 'White Queen' and you've never complained.'_

'_**I AM CONTENT WITH THAT NAME. BUT I WISH FOR YOU GIVE ME A NAME SOLELY BY YOURSELF.'**_

'_Well the name 'White Queen' is not going to stick here. We are in a new universe after all. How about… Frost?'_

Frost as in Emma Frost from the X-Men comics. It's kind of fitting because the Emma Frost from the X-Men is also called the 'White Queen' in Hellfire Club and she is totally hot and got this high-class suave attitude befitting the White Queen mantle.

'_Your name is now Frost and…'_

'_**THANK YOU, SIR.'**_ She spoke in my mind with the very accent that would make Emma Frost proud. A bit sultry and melodic like chocolate melting in your mouth kind of thing.

'_Wow, you quickly caught my drift, did you?'_ To that statement, she just chuckled mirthfully.

And the surprise didn't end there as she appeared in front of me in life-size apparition as January Jones (X-Men: First Class live actress). Complete with the usual Emma Frost's clothing, all white and pristine.

Every man's wet dream.

'_Is that a hologram?'_

'_**NO, I AM JUST A PROJECTION ON YOUR MIND AND NO ONE CAN SEE ME EXCEPT YOU, OF COURSE.'**_

'_Oh. That's convenient.'_

'_Let's get back to the business at hand. Assimilate these mercs' omni-tools and data mine anything useful and drain their bank accounts.'_ I ordered and suddenly felt a rush then two seconds later it was done.

'_**EXTERNAL NETWORK DETECTED, DESIGNATION "EXTRANET" AND CONNECTED TO THE NETWORK SUCCESSFULLY.'**_

'_**ALIEN LANGUAGES DOWNLOADED AND INSTALLED.'**_

'_**DATA CACHES OBTAINED.'**_

'_**TEMPORARY CREDIT ACCOUNT ESTABLISHED AND CREDITS RECEIVED.'**_

'_**OMNI-TOOL'S FEATURES ASSIMILATED.'**_

'_That's great.'_

And I was… 2.4 million credits richer and a few data caches mined from the mercs' omni-tools. And I didn't even have to touch their omni-tools. It was all done remotely.

But the mercs possessing this amount of credits is interesting since the weapon they were carrying are nothing more than cheap _Lancer_ assault rifles and their armors aren't exactly top notch either.

The talk between Frost and I was interrupted when a group of armed people led by a Turian and a Batarian. I recognized the bare face Turian as Grizz, one of the Batarian as Anto Korragan, one of Aria's most trusted henchmen who also acts as her second-in-command.

"Is this your doing, Human?" The Turian asked, pointing his weapon at the downed mercenaries.

Seeing no point in lying, I replied truthfully.

"Yes." At my casual admittance, the mercs behind Grizz tensed up and brought up their weapons.

Grizz held up his talons and the mercs behind him lower their weapons hesitantly but they are still in ready position. Anto on the other hand was just finished checking the two mercs on the floor and then came up beside Grizz.

"These two on the floor should not be here, they were supposed to be at the docks, doing their rounds."

"Then, why are they here then?" Grizz asked, looking at the brutally maimed Batarian and Turian merc.

"No idea but we need to report it back to Aria." Anto brought up his omni-tool to type something.

"How about the Human?" Grizz said while the Vorchas from the group stripping anything of value from their dead comrades.

"I think Aria might want to see him, considering he was here when they were alive. He might have some answers." Anto pointed at me while I eavesdropped on their conversations.

Then Anto's omni-tool chimed and he read the message then he turned toward me and said, "Aria wants to talk to you, she wants some answers."

"Who's Aria?" I asked, knowing who she is but decided to play dumb.

"Aria T'Loak, the queen who runs this station, Omega." Anto replied back, looking a little miffed that I seem to not know about the person who runs things around.

"Sure, let's meet your majesty. I have places to go later." I muttered as I followed them.

**X-X-X**

As I was being escorted to the Aria's place, I brought up the data caches that Frost ripped off from the two dead mercs.

'_Frost, bring up the data caches we have acquired earlier.'_ I inquired her through the mental link." And the strings of computer codes fall down like a water fall but immediately translated into words."

'_**WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO, SIR?'**_ Frost asked as she finished deciphering the data.

'_Find irregularities and summarize a report for me.'_ Wanting to know why these mercs were running around with millions of credits in their pockets.

'_**IT SEEMS THAT THE TWO MERCENARIES ARE PILFERING A FEW THINGS FROM THE DOCKS AND STORING THEM IN VARIOUS WAREHOUSES SCATTERED OVER THE STATION.'**_

'_Whose stuffs are they taking? Any info on that?'_

'_**FROM VARIOUS PEOPLE, SIR. INCLUDING ARIA T'LOAK. AND THEY ARE NOT WORKING ALONE.'**_

Oh, this is gold right here. I can give this information to Aria and have a good start with her.

'_Frost, start compiling the data on their activities and the location of the warehouses that keep the stolen goods but leave a few behind. Dump the intel to the omni-tool I have picked from one of the mercs.'_

'_**AFFIRMITIVE SIR.'**_

'_**COMPILING… DATA COMPILIED AND TRANSFERRED TO THE OMNI-TOOL.'**_

Now I just have to meet her and give her this.

**X-X-X**

I might have gone to a few God forsaken places just to collect viral samples for my research back on Earth in my original universe but passing the neighborhood of this once asteroid mining station is different. It's dark, damp, desolate and depressing, with drug users in the corner either high on their fix or dying, or the corpse that is rotting for God knows how long.

This place literally is the cesspool of shit, piss and entrails. This is where you come here to get corrupted. Because only the strong survives and it's apparently the law here, other than Aria's words.

**X-X-X**

Walking towards the Afterlife in the middle of the armed escort, the mercs were looking tense as they were escorting me. They probably seen my handiwork; the Batarian with the caved in skull and the Turian with a big hole in the back of his head.

And finally, we reached the front of the club, the base of operation and seat of power of the Asari pirate queen where everything revolves around.

Passing along the long line of party goers who are desperately trying to get in while an Elcor bouncer is blocking the entrance with his giant frame and literally boring the people to death with his monotonous voice, which is common for their species.

I was brought inside the club through another door far from the main door which I think serves as the secondary door or the maintenance door.

As I stepped inside the club, some idiot from the line who is impatient enough, try to get in from the way we came and got his reward by being intercepted and beaten up with the butt of the assault rifle by a merc.

The club is, well like anyone would expect. Eardrum shattering upbeat techno music accompanied by stinking aroma of sweat, blood, alcohol, vomit and spit. The downside of having enhanced senses is that you smell everything which even include the smell of arousal on a few patrons who are receiving lap dance behind the curtains.

Like second nature, my eyes started assessing the surrounding for any potential threats and also ways of ambush and escape if things go sideways. I could easily ask Frost to tag the potential enemies but I believe in relying on my own senses and instincts.

Since the mercs wear their own logo on their armor, it's easy to notice a dozen or two of them from Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack.

The patrons gave way to the approaching group as they know better than to mess with Aria's personal henchmen. Many were looking at me with great interest, not just from the first floor but also from the overlooking balcony and even a few of the dancers on the stage stop their ass shaking to look at my way as I walked by them standing tall and looking regal with my leather trench coat fluttering gently yet carefree. Not a person who is coming to see the Queen on her demand but a King coming to check up on his subjects.

That's one thing I like about wearing this meatsuit, it didn't give two fucks to anyone. Sure, he may look like someone with a stick up his ass and stiff like a statue but when he walks or talks, he demands attention and respect from the general population and fear from his enemy. His brand of charisma.

Impressions matter after all. Especially in front of the scums and wretched of the galaxy. They need to understand that I am not to be fucked with and that I am the _Alpha_ here. And theatrics help a lot in establishing the food chain here.

The guards standing at the base of the stairs that led to Aria's balcony, parted to allow us entrance when they saw Grizz and Anto leading the group.

**X-X-X**

After a brief walk, we reached the VIP section of the balcony where more bodyguards are apparent and even a few more are masquerading as the ordinary people and ready to protect the pirate queen if necessary.

'_It's good that she's paranoid enough. With a lot of people waiting for their chance to dethrone her, she needs to be prepared.'_ I mused as I saw a few waiters pretending to do their jobs but in truth they are eyeing from their corner.

Finally, I saw her. The Asari pirate matriarch sitting on a lavish couch with her left leg crossing over the right one and her hands spread on the top of the couch and a dancer curling up beside her who is probably high on Hallex.

"So, you are the Human who killed two of my men." Aria focused her gaze at my face.

"Killed in defense, would be the correct choice of word. After all your lackeys were the one with twitchy fingers. I just dealt with them accordingly." I replied to her coolly, tilting my head a bit.

Before she could speak again, I continued. "Besides you have been losing your touch," I reached inside my pocket. To which the guards raised their weapons so I just raised my left hand in placating manner while I continued pulling out the omni-tool.

"Just what do you mean by _'losing my touch'_?" She asked, her voice a bit menacing now.

"Oh, you will see it when you check this omni-tool. Let's just say that the content inside there may clarify things a bit." And one of her guard caught it from my throw.

After checking the omni-tool for any booby-traps, the guard handed it to Aria and after a few minutes of skimming through the device, she was clearly restraining her anger.

Suddenly the club temperature plummeted a few degrees as the pirate queen stood up and ordered in a cold voice that could send the entire station into the Ice Age. "Go to the warehouses shown in this omni-tool and bring me anyone who dares steal from me; drill a hole through the station if you have to and either bring the fuckers alive or bring me their heads." Aria ordered her men and suddenly almost everyone was in a frenzy as the warehouses' coordinates are sent to their personal omni-tools.

**X-X-X**

Only a handful of guards were left after most of them bolted for the thieve-hunt. I was looking over the balcony when Aria approached from behind. I quickly turned to face her as she stood beside me holding what seems to be a glass of wine.

But that thought was quickly discarded away when I smell the scent of the liquid and concluded that no wine would smell that strong.

"You know you can grab a drink. I'm not stopping you." Aria took a swig from her glass and savoring it. "Yeah that's definitely hit the spot."

"I'm fine." I just replied simply, denying her offer.

"So, what's your story? What are you doing here in my kingdom?" She asked stretching her arms to make a point while she also looked at the patrons dancing from the balcony.

"Not really part of the plan to be here. If you want to know if I have any ill intentions, then rest assured that I am not here to make a scene."

"So, how much?" She asked, taking the last sip of her drink.

"…" I know what she is referring to. She doesn't like being indebted to anyone so naturally she thought I'm the same as any other money loving lowlifes.

"I mean what's the price? I would be a fool to think that you do this from the bottom of your heart." She uttered; a bit irritated at the lack of my reply to her question. When Aria, the queen of Omega says how much, you are expected to ask something substantial for yourself.

"Money is not my concern, Ms. T'Loak. Shall we say that I just did you a favor and one day I may come and collect from you?" I responded back coldly as I fully turned to face her directly.

She moved closer towards me, her eyes flashing and body tingling a bit with the telltale sign of dark energy, trying to intimidate me. "You don't know me very well if you think I've any desire to be indebted to anyone-" Her voice now all business.

"Think of it as a favor for now or think of what you will." I retorted back, not intimidated in the slightest. She was closer now, her face a few inches near me, trying to assert her dominance over me. She growled which I find it… _cute_. Damn, if I don't have Wesker's perfect poker face, I would be busted.

**-X-**

Aria tried to scrutinize the Human in front of her. She hated the fact that she can't see the eyes on the Human's face since he's wearing what Humans called the sunglasses. _'Who would even wear them anymore?'_ She scoffed in her head.

**-X-**

I don't really know how my nanites would react to her biotic attacks but for now I ain't testing with one of the most powerful biotic users, an Asari Matriarch none the less. So, I decided to cut short and take my exit.

"Now if you don't mind, I have places to go and things to do. Relax, I'm not be spending much time here on this station." I assuaged her as I head for the stairways while the guard part away at Aria's signal. "Let him go." She ordered her minions.

I should have made a point that I don't easily bend to her will by showing a fraction of my powers but I decided that it's not worth the unnecessary attention. I will have to be careful in the future about using my powers, especially in front of others. If I'm wearing some type of advanced armor system like Master Chief's MJONIR Powered Armor, it would be excusable for my inhuman feats but me without even wearing a hard suit hitting harder than a Krogan and speeding at inhuman speed would be downright attention grabbing by almost everyone. And I really don't need half the Terminus System gunning for my ass. I may have a great edge over almost everyone but that doesn't mean I can take the entire galaxy.

Not yet anyway.

The plan right now is to get to the Citadel but before that, it would be wise to have a place to stay here on the Omega station, sort of like a safe house or a place to crash if I ever visit this place again.

First thing first, I'm gonna buy some booze before I go apartment hunting. It's been a long day and I might stay on this station for a couple of days.

Reaching down the stairs, I headed towards the bar and see a human barmaid attending a few patrons.

Standing in front of the bar, the barmaid in her mid-forties caught my attention.

"What will you be having, _Princess_?" The woman asked me in her distinct southern drawl.

At my confounded expression, she continued. "Oh, please I saw you coming in here escorted by Aria's henchmen, strutting through the club like you own the damn place or something." I didn't say anything to that other than ordering the alcohol.

"A bottle of Scotch and Ryncol." Ordering in a casual tone like buying a whole bottle of Ryncol is a normal business.

The bar woman raised her eye brows at that. "Are you sure you would like that _Princess_? The Ryncol is not for Human, they will liquefy your insides like acid."

Of course, I know that but with my regenerative ability, drinking Ryncol would be no different than drinking water.

"I know but I have a few things inside that need to be liquefied." At that she just rolled her eyes. "I warned you Mister, don't need another Human dead in the corner, especially a pretty face. Seen enough of those. And especially don't die in the club, it's hard to clean a corpse after the Vorcha have a buffet on you."

"I will take that under advisement." Grabbing the two bottles wrapped in a paper bag.

**X-X-X**

Exiting the Afterlife, I accessed the Extranet to look for 22nd century version of Classified.

'_Frost, find a decent place to crash. Just keep it simple.'_ Looking around the place while Frost does her thing.

'_**THERE'S AN APARTMENT ROOM AVAILABLE FOR RENT JUST SIX BLOCKS FROM HERE.'**_ Frost informed me as she brought up the small navigation map that appears on my vision that would take me to that place in shortest amount of time.

It's kind of strange that a computer screen appearing in your mind like a Heads-Up Display (HUD) since I'm not wearing anything on my face except my sunglasses and there's no omni-tool on my wrist either.

About that, I need to get one fast. Since they are like the smart phones back in 21st century so not having one on me might look strange.

I decided to walk six blocks instead of summoning a skycar since I wanted to know a bit about the neighborhood if I ever come back to this place. Walking through the blocks, I started noticing a few people tailing me, I could sense them by listening to their footsteps and smell of their cheap colognes. Also, Frost has detected them.

'_**SIR, POTENTIAL HOSTILES DETECTED. ONE TURIAN, TWO SALARIANS AND ONE HUMAN. THEY SEEM TO BE ARIA'S MEN FROM THE CLUB. NO AGGRESSIVE MOVES THOUGH, JUST KEEPING THEIR DISTANCES AND PROBABLY TAILING FROM AFAR.'**_ She alerted through our link.

'_I guess the pirate queen wants to know how I'm doing. That's very kind of her.'_ I thought sarcastically. Unfortunately, I don't have time to entertain them so I quickly side stepped into the alley between second and third block and _Flash Step_ briefly before _Leaping_ to the third floor of the block's apartment and landing right on a balcony.

My pursuers sprinted to the alley that I have disappeared into and find that it's empty while I looked down from the balcony and chuckled in thought at their expense.

As I was enjoying their predicaments, I heard a soft thud from behind and swiftly turned around to see a child, an Asari child, by the look of it, the kid's probably in her pre-teen years. She looked at me with her round purple eyes, darting at my face and her fluffy toy that she dropped on the floor not too long ago.

I showed my hands in harmless gesture and also bringing one finger to my mouth to the show the universal sign language of _'don't make noise'_.

The Asari child nodded and I let her pick up the toy from the floor. Looking down to see any more mercs and finding none, I decided to make haste and find my apartment by just hopping from one rooftop to another until I reached the building of the available apartment.

Jumping down from a fire escape, I landed softly on a bed of fake flowers and walked inside the building and found a Human standing near the elevator. He looked withdrawn with red eyes and barely holding himself together.

"Are you the one who put an ad on the Extranet?" Asking the man who's clearly suffering from drug withdrawal.

"Y-yes, that's me. The apartment is no luxury but it's pretty much about basic needs yeah so you gonna take it, right?" The man answered, becoming agitated.

"What's the price?"

"1000 creds for the first month and 600 for the following months." The man named the price.

'_Frost, you got that, right? Make it six months.'_

'_**GOT IT AND MONEY TRANSFERRED FOR SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE.'**_ I saw the credits from the two dead mercs being transferred to the man in front of me. The meager sum of rent money not even denting the balance.

"It's done now. hand me the key."

"What? I don't even see you open your omni-tool. How did you-?"

"Check your account." I said, patient starting to drain from the long day.

The man activated his omni-tool to check his account and satisfied to found that the credits had been received.

"Ok, ok here's the card." The man said, handing me the key card to his apartment room and rushing out the front door, probably trying to get a fix for himself.

Summoning the elevator and riding it up to ninth floor. Walking down the cramped corridor, I found the room 9-D and inserted the key card and the door opened with a small croak.

The apartment was terribly small, like its owner said, it's for basic needs only. The living room and what I assumed is the kitchen is connected. The supposed kitchen has nothing but a simple table with two chairs. The living room with a two-person couch and a small coffee table. A small bedroom and the kitchen separated by a thin wall. The bedroom containing a single bunkbed and a single lamp with the shower/toilet conjoined. Thank goodness that the shower and toilet are not dirty. And that's pretty much it. No painting and just four plain walls, normal ceiling and metallic floor slightly wet from the water seeping from pipes inside the walls.

I locked the door and headed for the bedroom, first removing my trench coat and hanging on a small hook embedded on the bedroom's door. I rolled up my sleeves and unclipped my shoulder holster to do inventory on my guns then I realized that there is another holster on my waist with another gun in it.

I was surprised that said gun was actually my old Heckler & Koch USP Elite 9mm, my first sidearm. Apparently, it too managed to survive the trip.

Too bad that the Elite has no extra magazine but rather a silencer sheathed in the holster along with the gun. Fortunately, KM 4000 combat knife was there. I could definitely find a use for this six-and-a-half=inch blade.

On the other note, one of my Punisher has eight rounds left from the earlier fight with the mercs, which means there're four more nine-round magazines and ten rounds in the second Punisher that has never been fired. In the end only 54 bullets left before I have to find a shop that either sells or makes 21st century bullets which is unlikely unless I make new ones myself. Though the Elite is fully loaded with eighteen rounds in the magazine and one in the firing chamber.

Putting my Punishers and Elite back to their respective holsters, the sudden thought crossed my mind on the nanites that are currently swimming in my bloodstream.

'_Frost, you there?'_

'_**SIR?'**_

'_Tell me about the nanites in my body.'_ Wanting to know about how it's affecting my body.

'_**THE TECHNO-ORGANIC (T-O) NANITES ARE THE SUBSEQUENT IMPROVEMENT AND ADDITION OF TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECT TO THE VIRUS 'ENTITY Z-TRA_01' WHICH IS THE FOUNDATION OF ORGANIC NANITES. MERGING THE TWO ASPECTS, SEVERAL PROBLEMS AROSE WHEN-'**_

'_Skip the history, Frost. I already knew about them; I have been researching on that particular field for the last seven years of my life.' _

For me that seven years was like decades. Unlocking the secrets of these miracle machines, it has been an exciting yet exhausting times for me.

'_I want to know the nanite counts currently active in my body.'_

'_**THERE ARE CURRENTLY OVER SIX HUNDRED MILLION NANITES CIRCULATING THROUGH THE BODY.'**_

'_What an odd number.'_ Who the hell fill that vial anyway? It may sound a lot, but compared to red blood cell which numbered around twenty to thirty trillion, it's nothing substantial.

'_What about the applications of the nanites?'_ I wondered, though I knew there are endless possibilities of them.

'_**FROM THE TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECT OF THE NANITES, THERE WOULD BE PHYSICAL AUGMENTATION, HYPERPHYSICAL CELLS THAT SUPPLY THE USER'S CELLS WITH SUB BRANCH OF APPLICATIONS, ELECTRONIC COMMUNI-'**_ She listed a few applications but something from her line of sentence intrigued me.

'_Hold on, what do you mean by Hyperphysical Cells? Is it some kind of super blood?'_ I enquired through the link shared between us.

'_**YES, THAT WOULD BE A CORRECT TERM. HYPERPHYSICAL CELLS OFFER GENETIC MEMROY, MAXIMUM BRAIN CAPACITY, SELF-SUSTENANCE, ACCELERATED AND ADAPTIVE METABOLISM AND MANY MORE.'**_

'_Damn that's downright bat shit crazy. The potentials are practically endless…'_ The corner of my lip curled upward a bit on the things that I can achieve, the ambitious ventures I can fulfil. The scientist aspect in me is grinning like a madman. Unzipping my undershirt (Combat Skin) and stretching a bit to get comfortable and popping some joints in the process.

'_**HYPERCOGNITION, POWERED STURUCTURE, CYBER MIND, ETC. THER ARE SUB BRANCHES FROM THE ABOVE SIR, AND SHOULD I LIST THEM ALL?"**_

'_**No, thank you Frost. I can say that hypercognition is about learning things at abnormal rate and understanding them, and cyber mind is essentially possessing the computer like consciousness. **_

'_What about the powered structure? Elaborate on them, will you?'_

_**THE POWERED STRUCTURE MEANS CREATING EXO-ARMOR WITH THE NANITES, YOUR CLOTHINGS ARE ALL MADE OUT OF NANITES SIR, EVEN YOUR SUNGLASSES. EXCEPT YOUR WEAPONS.'**_ She replied to my query.

Any other people would be freaking out when they discover that they are literally wearing nanites on their bodies but not me. I just ran my hands on the fabric of my clothing and smiled a bit. _'Does that mean I can do this?'_ I mentally send a command to my trench coat that's hanging on the hook of the door. And just as I wanted, it dropped on the floor and started crawling towards my position like a snake slithering on its belly, and when it reached at my feet, it morphed into my boots and simultaneously, it started to form on my undershirt and it only takes about five or six seconds.

'_**SIR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, THERE'S ALSO A FEW MORE THINGS LIKE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, INFESTATION AND MIND HIVE. THAT'S THE TIP OF WHAT THE TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECT OF NANITES CAN DO. SHALL I INFORM YOU ABOUT THE SUB BRANCHES OF THE ABOVE APPLICATIONS OR MOVE ON TO THE ORGANIC ASPECT OF THE NANITES AND ITS APPLICATIONS?'**_ She asked serenely, it's like she's teaching a child with infinite patience.

'_Wait if the nanites are capable of doing those stuffs then why am I not feeling like a god or Superman?"_ I wondered, knowing that even if the half of what she mentioned is possible then I could become anything.

'_**THAT'S BECAUSE MOST OF THE NANITES ARE EITHER DORMANT OR ON STAND BY. YOU CAN ACTIVATE THEM WITH YOUR THOUGHT BUT I IMPLORE YOU NOT TO USE EVERYTHING AT ONCE. THE NANITES CAN DO A LOT THINGS BUT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE MIRACULOUS FEATS IN SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME THEY WILL HAVE TO TAKE MORE CONTROL AND-'**_

'_My mental faculties and identity will be lost along the way. And I end up nothing more than a mere husk, a highly advanced and dangerous one at that who know nothing more than to act upon the survival instincts.'_ Well I was starting to think that I could get things done easily but it seems like nanites didn't offer me a shortcut to power readily.

I just have to learn to use each function over time but I still require effort on my part to achieve those.

It's actually not the nanites' shortcoming but rather, it depends on the user.

You see I could start activating the nanites and order them to do many incredible things but I would just be reliant on them doing everything for me and after a while I start to unconsciously relinquish control of my own body and ask the nanites to do everything.

In the end, I would become so reliant that I would no longer control them and they started to do everything for me like a clockwork.

That's why I have… No, I need to take things slow and master the control.

I know that the nanites are simply present in my bloodstream and the biological body is remained untouched for now except when I command the nanites to make changes and not to forget that there is also the Prototype virus coursing through my veins.

Honestly, I could easily assist Shepard with just the viral enhancements but I'm too ambitious to just tag along with Shepard like a good little dog. Don't want to be just another grunt with a gun on the team. I've my own plans after all.

Hmm, I wonder why the nanites haven't attacked the Prototype virus. After all they would have perceived the virus as the… well, virus and kicked it all the way to church.

'_**BUT DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT, AS I AM HERE TO GUIDE YOU WITH MASTERING CONTROL OF THE T-O NANITES, HENCE MY INITIAL INTRODUCTION TO YOU AS THE ARTIFICIAL 'GUIDANCE' CONSTRUCT. SO, DO YOU WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE NANITES, THE ORGANIC ASPECT MAYBE?'**_ She assured again.

'_No, maybe later. Wait, just one more question. So right now, what can I do with the nanites if I wake them?'_

'_**I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT, FOR NOW, YOU SHOULD STICK WITH PASSIVE FUNCTIONS LIKE PHYSICAL AUGMENTATION. EVEN THOUGH YOU ALREADY HAVE VIRUS GIVEN ATTRIBUTES. POWERED STRUCTURE FUNCTION IS ALREADY AVAILABLE AND YOU ARE CURRENTLY WEARING IT. IT IS CAPABLE OF TAKING TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PUNISHMENT AND THEY CAN REPAIR THEMSELVES WHEN DAMAGED. OTHER PASSIVE FUNCTIONS ARE TOO AVAILABLE. BUT ACTIVE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS MANIFESTING NANOCONSTURCTS AND INFESTATIONS SHOULD BE PUT ASIDE FOR A WHILE.'**_

'_Ok we will talk more about those later. Let's bring up the data caches collected from two dead mercs. They were stealing a little by little from a lot of people and those two are not working alone. There are probably more of them.'_ I said as I _'returned'_ my trench coat back to its previous place without leaving the bed.

'_**DATA ANALYZED AND HIGHLIGHTED FOR ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT.'**_

'_There are eight warehouses and six of them were given to Aria so that leaves us two and I think I'm gonna go with the one nearest to the docks. That one is definitely bigger and with the way they are trying to be conspicuous and failing, I think it would be worth checking out. What do you think Frost?'_ Inquiring the resident AI.

'_**I CONCUR SIR. THAT WAREHOUSE IS REMOTE BUT NOT SO FAR FROM THE DOCKS AND THERE ARE TOO MANY CAMERA BLINDSPOTS THAT CAN BE EXPLOITED BY THE MERCS. IT'S ALSO NOT FAR FROM THIS APARTMENT BUILDING, SHALL I MAKE A PLAN?'**_

'_Yes, but let's leave that for tomorrow. I'm gonna take a rest but we will start off early in the morning.' _I mentally commanded my boots to be taken off and they did, by dropping off my feet like flowing water and reassembling back to its original form beside the leg of the bunkbed.

Also, another prevailing and stunning thought crossed my mind as I clearly remembered the bullets passing through kinetic barrier instead of being intercepted. Not complaining in the slightest but the first possible explanation might be because the bullets are flying barely above supersonic velocity and the kinetic barrier systems are usually tune to block grain size metal shavings flying at **'hypersonic'** velocity (usually Mach 5 and above). The muzzle velocity of the Punisher on the other hand is just over Mach 1.3 but the armor kind of blocked it which meant that if I don't aim for the joints and soft spots like neck and eye then my sidearms are useless against armor especially heavy ones like Colossus unless I make armor-piercing (AP) rounds since Action Express, especially hollow point rounds are not designed to penetrate armor even with the copper jacket. Not to mention, despite the heavier bullets, the muzzle velocity is just not high enough for piercing task. Higher velocity means higher penetration after all. Shelving that particular information aside, I closed my eyes and welcome the oblivion.

**X-X-X**

The next morning, I woke up around at 0500 A.M. and do some calisthenics but no serious workouts since the apartment is too small. Breakfast is another matter altogether. The guy who rented me his room has generously left a cereal box half full under the swaying sink in the kitchen.

But it has expired way over two months ago but I thought what the hell and dumped the leftover cereal in a bowl and mixed it with my Scotch and Ryncol bought from the bar in Afterlife.

Thanks to the booze, I didn't even taste the Cereal on my taste buds. Just strong liquor burning along my throat and finally settling in my stomach.

I have opted to leave for the Citadel after checking the warehouse for anything of interest or value. And this is all for acquiring an omni-tool which I can easily take from someone else or I could easily manifest one, far superior than any omni-tools with the nanites and none the wiser but I can't help but think that I would find something big there and felt that it would be worth the raid to that warehouse.

Then find a job on the Citadel before the event of Eden Prime starts.

Well it's not that simple but that's what I can think of now.

Checking the date, I also realized that it's August 2180 and I still have to wait a few more years before the Geth attack. Asking Frost to do a search on a particular person, she managed to find the information from the Extranet. I only need to know a few things and not a full dossier so I didn't ask her to hack the Alliance database.

An image appeared along with the relevant data on said person. A woman with pale creamy skin and crimson red hair that reached her chin and a thin scar on her right cheek bone of her heart-shaped face. But the most distinctive of all is her piercing jade-green eyes that show pain, troubled past and determination, and those eyes seem like they are capable of looking at a person's soul.

Right there I realized that I will be dealing with a female Commander Shepard. One Commander **Annika Durant Shepard**. Born and raised on a relatively peaceful farming colony called Mindoir until she was 14 when the Batarians attacked the colony leaving her family and friends dead then enlisted with the Alliance four years later. She was also on Akuze which means she is a Sole Survivor and from a few news vids and non-classified security footages acquired by Frost, it seems to me that she might very well be a **Vanguard**-class Biotic.

So, I'm going to be dealing with a **Colonist-Sole Survivor-Vanguard** which basically spells shitload of emotional baggage and hopefully, badassery. One can only hope.

Holstering my guns and summoning my trench coat and sunglasses, I exited my apartment. Since the elevator is taking its sweet, sweet time I decided to take the stairs and, there I found the guy that rented me his apartment, sleeping in the corner, probably high on Red Sand but taking a glance at him, I can hear his heart barely beating and his breath, taking more and more effort to draw in. He ain't going to be much long before he meets his maker. Too bad I have places to be and if he dies then I get his apartment and one less low life scumbag removed from the galaxy. Striking down two birds with one stone. Taking the skycar this time I headed for the warehouse of my target, where anything can happen.

**X-X-X**

I hopped off the air car a couple of blocks away from my target to get a feel of the surroundings. Looking at the warehouse from my position, it's definitely bigger than the last one, at least by twice. Also, it's currently busy with a lot of activities going on there.

'_Frost, locate any cameras in the warehouse vicinity and give me access to them.'_ I requested as I unholstered my USP Elite and equipped the silencer and also the KM 4000 combat knife in reverse grip. This is going to be a stealth mission and my Punishers with their muzzle breaks are loud enough to be heard from Afterlife so the Elite is going to get some action.

The camera feeds appeared on the corner of my vision and I saw at least twelve of the mercs doing patrol of the warehouse and half a dozen more scurrying in and out of the warehouse, seemingly moving their stolen goods.

'_Guess they are running scared with Aria hunting them down like rabid dogs.'_ I thought to myself and also finding it both easy and hard at the same time to take them down. Nonetheless, stealth first.

So, I watched their routines for a few more minutes before I jumped down from my current position and to another block until I reached the roof where a Salarian merc or at least the tech support of his merc group was fiddling with his omni-tool. Just as I was near him, he suddenly stopped his fiddling, spun around and saw my approach. _'Shit, that guy's omni-tool must have some kind of proximity alert to see me coming. Frost, make sure it doesn't happen again.'_

At the same time, I was talking to Frost, I _Flash Step_ the remaining distance and gave him an uppercut which was too much for a Salarian with my enhanced strength even with his protective helmet so he lost his consciousness before he hits the ground and to be sure, I put one 9mm round right on his temple, his kinetic barrier useless at this extreme point-blank range. With that done, I was immediately aware of another merc rounding the corner and so I dashed towards the Human merc and drove my combat knife through the gap of the armor, puncturing his throat and killing him instantly, his body falling down like a sack of potato.

I continued forward and saw the door leading to another floor of the building and quickly moved towards it as I let Frost do the remote hacking, turning the red holo light to green in a fraction of a second. As I went down the stairs, I saw another Human taking a break of his own at the bottom of the stair so I wasted no time and jumped down to the landing of the stair and charged him with my body and pressed his face against the wall then drove my knife at the base of his skull. But his alcohol bottle dropped and the crashing sound alerted the already edgy occupants of the warehouse so before I could wipe the blood of the knife, the gunfire has already erupted and directed at my general area. The stealth part was officially over.

No point in keep using my Elite so I whipped out both my Punishers and unleashed both of them at the same time to the approaching targets, some fifteen meters away from my peripheral vision, two Vorchas led by a Krogan Battlemaster.

The first Vorcha was down after I unloaded two rounds at his face and another one at his throat, creating a hole in the face and the third round exiting out from the back with his spinal cord severed from his brain.

The Vorchas are very tough and adapting species but when the head is nearly separated from his body, he couldn't help but die.

But the second Vorcha has already raised his assault rifle and fired the mass accelerator rounds.

The next thing I experienced was unlike anything before as the time seems to slow down dramatically, I then realized that this is the _Accelerated Perception_ which is currently allowing me to see the grain-sized metal shavings hurling at my way so I dodged them subtly and _Flash Step_ towards the remaining Vorcha and emptied two more rounds to which his armor intercepted. Becoming too close to the Vorcha I unsheathed my knife quickly and threw it at his face which end up lodging in his left eye. The armor might stop the bullets preventing him from immediate demise but melee weapons like knife to the eye socket spells excruciating pain if the blade managed to pierce the brain box behind the eye.

He shrieked out loud but he ain't dead yet, not completely and I have a Krogan to deal with. Said Krogan was actually enjoying the show but once the two Vorchas are indisposed, he charged with speed too great for a normal human that it would be near unavoidable and also fatal so I sidestepped even if I'm not a normal human and kicked him in the back which only enraged him further so before he went berserk I dashed towards him and ended up locking each other's arms, trying to overcome with raw strength and finding a weak spot at the same time.

But before I could counteract, the Krogan headbutted in my face and my arms loosened up a bit which he used that as the opportunity to detach his shotgun and blast me at close range which was right in my chest. I staggered a few feet but I didn't feel my skin break as the nanite-suit construct blocked the weapon discharge though I could feel the kinetic impact behind the shot and it vibrated my rib cage like a gong being struck. A sensation I do not wish to be subjected again if possible.

"Heheh, you're tough. Don't know what you are but don't care." He chortled a reply.

He charged again but this time I was ready for his shotgun and shot three successive rounds at the weapon which damaged it enough that the Krogan threw it aside and continued on, to which I swiped at his legs causing him to unbalance then struck him across his face and kicked him in the chest finally causing him to fall on his hump. Wasting no time, I jumped on him with my right knee on his throat but I swiftly remedied the situation by grabbing his head, ripping his head plate off with my bare hand, revealing his brain.

No knife, no precision. Just brute force approach.

The Krogan produced an uncharacteristic scream but his scream faded as soon as I fired my Punisher right into his brain, ending the guy effectively. Which left me with the mostly incapacitated but slowly recovering Vorcha.

And the Vorcha with my combat knife stuck inside his left eye was practically done when I pulled out my knife from his eye socket, grabbed one of his head spikes and slit his throat then pushed the knife back through his neck which severed it, dislodging his head cleanly from his body.

The rest of the mercs were mostly Turians and Humans with a few Salarians and Batarians. Most of them were taken down with the combination of _Flash Step_ and point-blank shooting or in one Salarian case, he was punched hard enough to cause his neck snapped backwards and killing him before he hit the wall. I also dodged quite a lot of bullets even though my suit could take it and a few tech attacks, but my nanites took it effortlessly.

With all the mercs dead, I started rummaging through the warehouse but most of the place was already empty, leaving only a few crates behind. I broke them apart to discover stuffs like alcohol, medi-gel and a few other useless trinkets. Which kind of pissed me off since I was expecting more than trinkets so in a fit of rage, I kicked one of the crates which flew off and hit the adjacent wall, punching a hole and exposing what looks to be a wall safe. I asked Frost to crack it and a few seconds later it was unlocked with a quiet beep.

Inside the safe, it was mostly filled with OSDs and a few hard boxes filled with jewelry which I don't have a use for. But one OSD caught my eye and I asked Frost to scan and decrypt it.

'_**SIR IT SEEMS THAT WE MAY HAVE HIT THE JACKPOT. THIS OSD CONTAINS THE KEY TO ACCESS A CORVETTE-CLASS VESSEL NAMED 'STARBURST' WHICH IS CURRENTLY DOCKED IN THE PORT.' **_Frost declared with mirth and I smiled at hearing that news.

Jackpot indeed.

**X-X-X**

Arriving at the docks, I followed the direction instructed by Frost to find the vessel in question and I finally found it at the rear end of the dock.

My first impression of the ship was that it was clearly a human-made vessel, looked exotic and sports like which would indicate that it's a custom built. Something which a rich CEO would buy for his son's birthday with red and white stripes along with a number '73' slabbed on the hull.

But then I realized that taking this ship to the Citadel might be problematic with what I was going for the job in the Citadel. I don't have a problem with flying the ship, with an AI by your side the ship can be operational without much effort and its credentials can be cooked easily making this ship effectively mine.

No, it has to do with what I would be working as on the Citadel. Then, suddenly a crazy idea popped inside my mind but before enacting on that, I decided to explore the ship a bit.

Inside the ship, there's two decks plus a sub deck between the first and second. The first deck contains the Bridge and Captain's Office. The second one has Sleeping Quarters, Entertainment Room, Mess Hall, a small Med Bay, a Shower and Restroom which also includes a Jacuzzi. The sub deck houses the Engine Room and a small Cargo Bay. The sub deck is tucked between first and second deck.

To my delight, the mercs were using this ship to smuggle stolen goods and selling to other planets in the Terminus System. While the Cargo Bay on the sub deck is small, it is smartly concealed which made this small Human corvette fit for smuggling runs.

'_Frost, get inside the ship's system, start data mining and rewriting the ship's credentials and use a random name when you fill in the blanks. Also optimize the ship's system as best as you can. Can you leave a copy behind to do all that?'_ Exiting out of the elevator to the second deck and headed straight for the airlock.

'_**YES, SIR.'**_

…

'_**ACCESSING THE SHIP'S NETWORK. COUNTER INTRUSTION PROGRAM DETECTED AND CIRCUMVENTED. DATA MINING SHIPBOARD NAVIAGATIONS AND COMPUTER BANKS COMMENCING.'**_

…

'_**DATA MINE SUCCESSFUL.'**_

'_**REWRITING SHIP'S CREDENTIALS.'**_

…

'_**SHIP'S CREDENTIALS REWRITTEN. SHIP'S SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION WILL START IMMEDIATELY.'**_

'_Good so let's leave your copy behind and get back to the apartment. I've someone to pick up and I need him for my plan.'_ I summoned a skycar and hit the coordinate for my apartment building.

Reaching at the building and taking an elevator ride to the 9th floor, I found what I was looking for in the same place I saw this morning. The guy who rented me his room was already dead in the corner with his head slumped. Quickly picking him up and carrying him down then taking a ride back to the docks.

On Omega, a dead man slung on the shoulder was not an interesting thing so normally people just gave way when I passed by.

Putting the recently dead corpse in the Captain's Office, I left the ship after wiping every evidence and made it seem like some rich kid who overdosed on the way and also securing the contrabands in the sub deck that the previous users of the ship were smuggling.

_Might be useful later on so no point in getting them confiscated by the C-Sec. _

I only took a couple of things like a military grade omni-tool and a heavy pistol.

'_Frost, I trust that you already have figured out the ship, no?'_

'_**YES. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SET COURSE, SIR?'**_

'_No, I'm not riding on this ship. I will be riding another one to the Citadel, your copy will fly this ship to the Citadel and the C-Sec will find the dead guy in the Captain's Office and the ship will most likely be compounded. You just have to make sure that this ship reaches the Citadel safely and try your best to make sure the contrabands are secured. It's not important in the end but there's no point wasting them.'_

'_**I WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT SIR. IT'S THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH.'**_

'_No. Thank you Frost.'_ I wrapped up the conversation and headed for another dock that has a ship leaving for Citadel in six minutes. _**'ANYTIME SIR.'**_

When I was about to board the ship that would bring me to Citadel space, I saw my recently acquired spaceship fly by and heading toward the Mass Relay that will hurl the _**Starburst**_ across thousands of light years from Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System via Eagle Nebula, Imir System to Serpent Nebula, Widow System where an ancient space station awaits, not just for _**Starburst**_ but also me, one Albert Wesker, a Revenant from another world.


	3. 02: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These

**Mass Effect & Resident Evil are the properties of Bioware and Capcom respectively. I do not own them. All rights go towards them.**

**You might be wondering...  
Is this a self-insert story, no, but it's mostly written in 1st person POV. So, it's an OC-centric fanfic then, not exactly. More of a character from another franchise whose body is occupied by an OC; sort of like character crossover but not a complete franchise crossover. I know it's a bit complicated but I sort of got this idea from Illuviar's Star Wars/Gundam Seed crossover fanfiction Rogue Knight. Go check that out, very interesting and a great story.  
**

**Chapter 2: Sweet Dreams Are Made of These**

Wesker was typing on a keyboard and beside him stood a ten feet tall glass tube with a humanoid figure, no, a disfigured human with the pulsing oversized organ beating outside, on the right side of its chest and a wicked looking left claw hand, though the humanoid seems docile for now. Behind him, there were two members of his Alpha S.T.A.R.S. unit. Then, he suddenly turned around and pointed his 9mm Samurai Edge at his teammate, Chris Redfield. Rebecca Chambers took a step back, taken aback at the situation.

"Chris!" The voice belonged to Jill Valentine.

"Jill?" Chris said facing in the direction of his fellow teammate.

"Wesker." Jill sounded incredulous, seeing her team leader pointing his gun at his subordinate. Wesker shifted his gun from Chris to the new arrival.

"I've always been with Umbrella. And S.T.A.R.S. were Umbrella's. No, rather my little piggies." Wesker said, with underlying condescending tone, still pointing his gun at the team while the rest of the team was looking betrayed, angered and skeptical about his claim.

Wesker returned to the console he was typing and continued. "The Tyrant Virus leaked, polluting this whole place. And unfortunately, I had to give up my lovely members of the S.T.A.R.S."

The liquid drained from 10 feet tall glass tube containing the test subject and it descended slowly as the liquid started to get lower and lower.

"The ultimate life-form. Tyrant." Wesker explained looking at the subject inside the tube.

"You couldn't have been experimenting on people." Jill said skeptically but it's pretty clear that what in front of them, is human or was a human. "No."

"Wesker, you've become senile." Chris butted in.

"Chris, you'll never understand."

"It's magnificent." Wesker said raising both his hands towards the glass tube. But before he could say another word, the Tyrant looked down at him and shifted then reared back its left claw hand and thrusted it to the only person in front and its claw broke through the glass easily and pierced right through Wesker's chest and exited from the back, lifting him a few feet off the ground while the rest of the team was horrified and helpless to do anything.

The Tyrant stepped out of its glass confine and tossed Wesker off its claw like a rag doll, sending him across the room and slamming him to a computer console.

**X-X-X**

I sharply took a breath and lunged from my back against the wall and ran my hands all over the chest for any signs of blood or a big gaping hole but finding none.

'_Shit, I was dreaming. That was quite intense. More like reliving than dreaming.'_

'_**SIR YOUR HEART RATES ELEVATED AND THE ALPHA AND BETA WAVES WERE ERRATIC. WERE YOU HAVING A DREAM, SIR?'**_ Frost asked in my mind.

'_Yes, you could say that. It's more of a nightmare but I'm fine now.'_ I got up from the floor of the cargo ship that I hitched a ride to the Citadel after I paid the Captain about a thousand credits. No questions asked, of course.

'_Have you finished the paper works?'_

'_**YES SIR. I HAVE MADE IT AS CONVINCING AS POSSIBLE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW IT?'**_

'_Bring it up, Frost.'_

The documents showed my face or rather Albert Wesker's, without the usual trademark sunglasses. It read that I was born on August 9, 2131. Born as an orphan who was frequently transferred from one place to another, never having a stable home. Yet determined to do something about the situation instead of drifting along doing nothing, despite all odds. And managed to get a college bachelor's degree in criminal justice by taking advantage of free scholarship programs and passed numerous written examinations that portrayed me as a talented officer of the law with experiences whether in enforcement or investigation or even special response if needs arise.

Yeah, I decided that I would take a job in C-Sec and set up my base of operation allowing me to do preparations and personal projects of my own. Working in C-Sec is not a problem because Wesker himself was a police Captain himself and weapons, tactics and police procedures were not strange to him. It's the dossier that they need to believe in since I don't really have physical evidence of my services on any planets or colonies.

Usually, joining the C-Sec is prestigious and candidates are either sponsored by a Citadel Councilor or the Ambassador of an associate Council race. Ideally, they usually have many years of distinguished service and experience under their belts either in the military or police forces of their own species.

I just have to hope that this dossier fabricated by Frost would be enough unless they start digging. Electronic works could only go so far.

'_What's the ETA?'_ I asked, walking towards one of the glass panes to take a look outside.

'_**WE WILL BE REACHING THE CITADEL STATION WITHIN 18 MINIUTES.'**_

'_How about the living arrangement? Found anything yet?'_

'_**I MAY HAVE FOUND WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR. ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT. NOTHING FANCY BUT MORE THAN LIVABLE, COMPARE TO THE ONE BACK IN OMEGA STATION. NOT VERY FAR FROM C-SEC BUT NOT TOO CROWDED EITHER. THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS A MIX OF SPECIES BUT THEY MOSTLY KEPT TO THEMSELVES. THERE'S A RESTAURANT WITHIN 10 MINUTES WALK. MULTIPLE RAPID TRANSITS NEARBY WHICH WOULD BE CONVENIENT. A FEW WEAPON SHOPS WITHIN 20 BLOCKS.'**_ Frost listed some facts and places of interest.

'_I trust that you have handled my medical report.'_ That's another thing. Bloodwork. Worry later about not being accepted into C-Sec but worry about being discovered with an unknown disease that could turn other people into cannibalistic zombies. Though I'm enjoying the fruits and labors of the Prototype virus, the other people couldn't say the same because for others I'm a literal walking biohazard.

'_**SIR I THINK IT'S TIME YOU ACTIVATE THE T-O NANITES IN YOUR BODY. THIS WAY IT WOULD MAKE THINGS MUCH SMOOTHER.'**_ She suggested, her beautiful visage filled with anxiousness and anticipation.

'_How do I do it then? Activating the nanites.'_ I inquired.

'_**IT'S A MATTER OF CONCENTRATING ON THEM AND IMAGINE ACTIVATING THEM LIKE SWITCHING SOMETHING ON.'**_ She informed, looking thoughtful.

Without wasting anytime or doubting about the advice, I simply closed my eyes, relaxed and rethought about the memories of me working on them back in my original universe.

A few seconds passed, nothing happened. Nothing yet, not- suddenly, a tingling sensation was felt on the back of my neck.

I focused on that feeling and it became more pronounced and out of nowhere I started to feel something shifting under my skin.

I opened my eyes and saw my gloved hands, my trench coat and practically my entire body and clothing fluctuating and flexing like some great beast has finally awoken.

The initial tingling sensation was now gone, replaced with satisfying and powerful feel encompassing in and out of my body. Then something that I feared actually became a reality when the nanites inside my body showed a message on my mind's eyes.

_**+ANOMALY DETECTED! ELIMINATE THEM? Y/N+**_

_**+No, leave it and designate the anomaly as the Prototype virus+**_

_**+ACKNOWLEDGED+**_

'_Frost, I'm entrusting you with a few functions of the T-O Nanites. I hope it will make things easier.'_ I thought to her and waited her reply. It took a while but it's understandable because I just gave her the access to the very things, personal things inside my body.

'_**THANK YOU, SIR. I'M GLAD THAT YOU TRUSTED ME WITH SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT. I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN, SIR.'**_ She replied back enthusiastically.

'_Yeah, we gonna have at least two years ahead of us and so far, you've been a great partner. So, carry on.'_

"This is your captain speaking; we are just two minutes away from the Citadel." The ship's Captain announced over the ship's intercom. Now it's a matter of showing the credentials to the C-Sec officers and the Custom.

**X-X-X**

The cargo ship docked with the Citadel through long and tedious procedure but finally the ship was authenticated and allowed. A couple of custom officers rolled in and conducted a thorough search of the ship and its cargo. Standard procedure and all. And finally, me.

The officers were a bit weary of me, especially how I dress and with a pair of sunglasses nonetheless, probably looking like a mercenary. Seriously, sometimes Wesker's attire sends the wrong message and just screams sinister, but it's not surprising since Wesker himself was a villain or at least an anti-hero, in my opinion anyway.

But after checking the dossier, both of them stood straight and gave a sharp salute, to which I just gave them back a smooth one and headed for the elevator.

**X-X-X**

I have to do a few things first. Like finding an access point in the Citadel Network. Which means I've to find a Keeper and wait for the creature to leave so that I can get to work.

Stepping out of the elevator, I moved forward to find a Keeper and kept getting a few odd stares at my direction but I moved on. I guess not many wear like I do anymore in 22nd century. Not even Humans. They would probably see me as the guy from the movie Matrix that is if they know about the Matrix at all.

I also checked the Extranet for a few things like whether Resident Evil franchise, exist or not and it's too bad that they don't. Not even Halo franchise or any other came into fruition in this universe. And that's when I realized that this universe is seriously wrong. No Halo, no Call of Duty, no Battlefield. HOW!? Star Trek and Star Wars franchises exist so it's not totally unsalvageable but it still sucks.

Continuing forward, I finally found a Keeper skittering away from what I can safely assume as an access node/console. I walked towards and glad that it was not out in the open, but relatively located in a remote corner.

Approaching the console sticking out of the wall, I hovered my left hand over the node.

'_**+SIR, SHALL I RELEASE THE NANITES INTO THE NETWORK, A MINUSCULE AMOUNT MAYBE? IT WILL GRANT US ACCESS SIMILAR TO HARDWIRE CONNECTION+'**_

'_You mean something like micro-Infestation to tap the data stream of the Citadel Network?'_

'_**PRECISELY. A SMALL AMOUNT OF NANITES WITH A FRAGMENT OF MY CODES WILL BE INJECTED BOTH PHYSICALLY AND DIGITALLY INSIDE THE CITADEL NETWORK. THIS WAY IT WOULD WORM ITS WAY THROUGH THE SYSTEM WITHOUT GETTING DETECTED. IT MIGHT TAKE SOME TIME BUT THE RESULT WILL BE VERY MUCH WORTH IT.'**_

'_Does this mean if the nanites are given enough time, it might be possible to take over the whole Citadel?'_

'_**+IN THEORY, IT IS POSSIBLE WITH MASS INFESTATIONS OF NANITES. TAKING OVER THE ENTIRE CITADEL STATION COVERTLY WOULD BE A NIGH IMPOSSIBILITY WITHOUT MAJOR INFESTATIONS OR SELF REPLICATIONS OF THE NANITES. IT WOULD TAKE QUITE A LONG TIME IF YOU WERE TO DO IT COVERTLY SINCE THERE ARE LOTS OF UNKNOWN FACTORS LIKE THE CYBER DEFENSES, COUNTERACTIONS AND PROTOCOLS OF THIS STATION WHICH THE NANITES HAVE TO EITHER BYPASS OR LEARN NOT TO TRIP OVER. BY DEFAULT, AND FOR SAFETY REASONS, SELF REPLICATIONS IS DISABLED+'**_

'_I understand. Not to mention, there is the 'Intelligence' (the ancient AI) either somewhere or everywhere inside the Citadel.'_

'_Be weary of that, Frost. We don't know the extent of its capabilities.'_

To be honest, the Citadel was the last place I wish to be. It's a literal trap that many races prior fell over spectacularly. Not to mention the subtle indoctrination energy frequency flooding the station. I couldn't consciously feel it but the virus in me was not liking it at all. If my virus didn't like it, I don't like it.

This galaxy is participating in a rigged game for a very long time. And no one knows about it or wants to acknowledge it. A certain image of three Councilors came into my mind.

Ignorance really is a fucking bliss.

'_Do it and Frost, for now we are officially in the enemy territory so constant vigilance and subtlety is the key.'_

'_**+ACKNOWLEDGED SIR. INJECTING NANITES AND SHEDDING A COPY+'**_

With that done, I summoned an air car to the apartment location that I have pre-rented it via the Extranet.

Walking inside the building, I approached the receptionist, a purple-skinned Asari, likely in her Maiden stage.

Standing behind her reception desk, she was startled by my quiet entrance and towering height with ominous fashion choices. "Oh Goddess! You scared me. Well h-hello, how can I help you?" The Asari yelped and quickly composed herself, a bit embarrassed about losing composure. Despite her clumsiness, I couldn't help but detect an act behind. Probably a self-defense mechanism of this Maiden when dealing with unknowns and dangers. Smart, making people underestimate her and lower their guards down.

"Yeah I'm here about the apartment that I've rented through the Extranet site. It's 4-K." I said, activating my omni-tool in advance. Yeah, I just basically absorbed the military grade omni-tool (both hardware and software) and let the nanites do the job.

"Oh, sure let me check and… yes there's a message about the apartment rental. Since it's already been paid in advance, I just need to confirm it with your omni-tool."

I brought up the appropriate documents and sent it to the Asari.

"Thank you, Mr. Wesker, and please enjoy your new accommodations. If you have any complaints, you can either send it to our Extranet site or inform it via suggestion terminals. Also… you can put a complaint to me." The last line was spoken with a suggestive tone.

Damn Asari.

I shook her dainty little hand with my own leather gloved hand which is at least twice as big and proceeded towards the elevator for a ride up to 4th floor.

**X-X-X**

I walked along the corridor and found my room, I just let Frost unlocked it remotely. Not even bothering to activate the omni-tool.

The inside was just cozy for a single person or two. The living room and kitchen were separated by a mini bar. This kitchen unlike the one from my Omega apartment, has most of the accommodations. The living room was pretty much simple yet complete with a couch, a coffee table and an arm chair with a stool. I just need to take a dozen or so steps and I will reach the bedroom. With a single bed, a desk and a decent size closet including a bathroom, it was a decent bedroom for me. Just perfect for someone who was unlikely to spend too much time sleeping or staying in the apartment.

Reaching my bedroom, I just laid down and relaxed for the first time since I had arrived to this universe. The sunglasses on my face and the trench coat just dissolved, the former reforming on the nightstand beside the bed while the latter just draped on the chair near the door.

And I fell into another beauty sleep until…

"…a new superior breed of humans given birth by the Progenitor Virus." An old man sitting in a wheel chair croaked while the background was flashing with thunder lightnings and rain.

"The Wesker children were entrusted with endless potential." The old man continued while a figure dressed in leather trench coat wearing sunglasses despite the heavy rain and night time outside the castle, moved around the old man. It was none other than Wesker.

"Of them only one survived. You."

"Are you saying I was manufactured?" Wesker stated the question to the old man who was one of the founders of the Umbrella Corporation, Ozwell E. Spencer.

"I was to become a god…" Spencer choked off as he experienced a small coughing fit but he resumed his speech.

"…creating a new world with an advanced race of human beings. However, all was lost with Raccoon City." Wesker clenched his fists as he listened to Spencer.

"Despite the setback, your creation still holds great significance. Now my candle burns dimly." Spencer said as he stood up from his wheel chair with some effort.

"Ironic, isn't it? For one who has the right to be a god! To face his own mortality…" Spencer turned around to see Wesker standing behind him.

"The right to be a god…" Wesker snarled and thrusted his right hand into Spencer's chest where the heart was located. "That right is now me." Wesker finished off the sentence in Spencer's ear and pulled back his hand, letting Spencer fall down a few steps then die as blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"The right to be a god? You? Arrogant even until the end. Only one truly capable of being a god deserves that right." Wesker exclaimed.

But it didn't take too long for Wesker to stay idle as the door to the room burst opened and two people charged in with their guns raised.

Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine stopped in their tracks and pointed their weapons to the only other person in the other end of the hall.

Wesker turned to face the two of them as a flash of lightning coincided his red glowing serpentine eyes.

"Wesker!" Chris yelled and without hesitation he fired his sidearm followed by his partner as both of them shot rounds after rounds toward him.

But Wesker merely dodged them and moved across the hall in burst of speed, making him appear as if he was teleporting.

He finally reached in front of Chris, grabbing his right hand that was holding the gun, and twisting to disarm it, throwing a punch across his face as he put Chris's arm on his shoulder elbowing him in the gut then knocking him to the floor with an uppercut.

Jill fired more rounds to the fast approaching Wesker who in turn kept dodging bullets without any effort then grabbed her by the throat and raised her against the wall with the intent to crush the windpipe while she tried to get free from his large hand with feeble attempt.

Chris intervened the process, Wesker backed up and dodged his haymaker and blocked another but caught the third one and twisted in the anti-clockwise then delivered another blow to the face. Chris recovered and kicked him in wide arc but it was intercepted when Wesker raised his arm.

Jill fired again and Wesker let go of Chris's leg, pushing him in the back with force and began to dodge in a zig zag pattern, evading the third and fourth bullet in mid-air with a barrel roll.

Chris received another punch for his attempt to get close to Wesker while Jill dropped her handgun aside and brought up her combat knife to slash Wesker but her knife wielding hand was batted aside and she received a powerful palm strike in the chest which sent her flying, her back hitting a bookcase with glass door and shattering it.

Chris restarted his assault but he fell to the same first tactics when he started fighting Wesker but this time he was raised up high with force and slammed down on his back along the lengthy hardwood table dragging him all over the table leaving one long drag mark then throwing him about ten feet away.

Chris landed violently on the stone floor and drifted a bit with momentum. His body aching from powerful strikes and blocks. He and his partner haven't landed any punches on Wesker yet they were being kicked in their collective assess.

Wesker walked towards Chris, his left hand, the one he used to fatally stab Spencer extended with the clear intention of finishing off Chris. Wesker hoisted him by his throat, his hand clenching and forming a fist and rearing back. "Let's finish this!" said Wesker but before he could kill Chris he was tackled by Jill at his waist from behind, throwing them both out the window as they fell from the castle and into the ravine.

Wesker kept falling with Jill hugging his waist from behind then they both hit the water.

**X-X-X**

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and found myself floating in some kind of thick viscous fluid yet I was still capable of breathing in and out. The fluid surrounding me was pinkish and translucent. I could move my arms and legs, but everywhere I turned my head, all I see was the same thing. The only thing I could describe was the same thing a baby experiences in his mother's womb, if the child managed to remember.

It was vast and never ending yet I didn't feel scared or panicky. I felt safe and comforting. Soothing noise lulling at me from everywhere. For a while, I felt like I just want to spend in this place forever.

But the musing was abruptly cut short as I started to feel a tugging sensation and yanked sharply into the land of the living.

'_**+SIR!? SIR!? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?+'**_ Frost asked, her tone urgent and expressing worry.

'_Yeah, I think so. What the hell is happening to me? Check the brain, check the heart, and check everything. Full medical diagnosis.'_ I ordered her.

'_**+NO SIGN OF ANY CARDIAC ANOMALY EXCEPT THE SAME ALPHA AND BETA WAVE CONSISTENT WITH INTENSE DREAMING LIKE YOU HAD BEFORE ON THE CARGO SHIP SIR. BUT…+"**_

'_But? What is it Frost?'_

'_**+SIR JUST BEFORE YOU AWOKE AND AFTER THE INTENSE DREAM SESSION, THE NANITES SUDDENLY BECAME ACTIVE AND STARTED TO PROJECT SENSORY DATA TO YOUR BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. ALSO, THE MAJOR SENSORY ORGANS, SIR. WHAT DID YOU REMEMBER SIR? +'**_

'_I remembered the last part of the dream/vision as something akin to a child inside a mother's womb. Everywhere you looked was fluid and with translucent red-pinkish hue. I felt myriads of feeling. Safe and secure. Soothing and comforting._

_What's happening to me, Frost and what were the nanites trying to show?'_

'_**+I HAVE YET TO FIND A GOOD EXPLANATION ON THE INTENSE DREAMINGS, SIR, BUT I CAN GIVE YOU A GUESS ON THE LATTER ISSUE+'**_

'_Fire away, Frost.'_

'_**+GENETIC MEMORY. THE NANITES ARE SHOWING YOU THE GENETIC MEMORY, SIR. THAT'S THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION+'**_

'_Wait, does this have to do anything with the fact that the nanites also have organic aspect and that the original virus that we developed the nanites from has passed on the genetic memories.'_

'_**YES, SIR.'**_

'_Well, fuck me sideways.'_

Frost spoke again. _**'+WHEN THE TRUE NATURE OF THE VIRUS, Z-TRA_01 WAS DISCOVERED BACK IN '73, NO ONE REALLY ANTICIPATED THAT THE NEWLY DISCOVERED GENETIC MEMORIES MIGHT BE TRANSFERRED TO THE PROJECT 'HIGH HOPE'. IT'S EITHER A FREAK COINCIDENCE OR A COMPLETE IGNORANCE. BUT IF THESE NANITES CONTAIN THE MEMORIES THEN ANOTHER SET OF DOORS JUST OPENED FOR US. IMAGINE WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE IF WE CAN TAP INTO IT. THE TECHNOLOGIES ALONE WOULD BE THE INCENTIVE FOR US TO DELVE IN FURTHER+'**_

'_You're right about one thing, Technology. The Reapers were successful in their cullings for a billion years because they wanted the galactic civilizations to develop along a certain path of technology. That way, they hold all the cards. It's a near perfect set up on galactic level.'_

'_**+SO, SHALL I LOOK INTO IT FURTHER. IF YOU WANT ME TO START THEN I REQUIRE MORE ACCESS TO THE NANITES+'**_

I thought about it for a while. Helping Shepard is a part of my plan but I also have more than one agenda in my mind. I was sent to this universe as a second chance, but it's too bad I arrived here just before the Reaper's Invasion. One way or another Commander Shepard will find a way to win the war, I'm just extending a helping hand. It's not what happen when the Reapers invade but it's about what's after the Reaper War. I'm gonna be spending the rest of my existence here in this universe so I'm not just done with helping out Shepard. I've my own ambitions and goals too and these genetic memories of the Prometheans would make a part of those goals a reality.

Imagine creating an entirely different technology base, technology that does not rely on the Element Zero in the slightest. Suddenly, a handful of projects came into my mind and a wicked smile creeped on my features.

'_Ok Frost. You have my permission to investigate these visions and start unlocking them. First, start with the recent one, I think it has to do with something important and also the history of the Promethean might be nice. The more we know about their history, the faster we can understand about their technology.'_

'_And I think I may know why I'm having those dreams or rather reliving, Wesker's memories. _

_Since I'm inhabiting his body, it's only a matter of time before his traits and characteristics merge with me. I mean the old me, Ray Parker, would never do threat assessments on instinct when in unfamiliar territory or be in constant state of alert like a soldier all the time.'_

'_**+THAT'S VERY LIKELY, SIR, BUT TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, IT WOULD BE WISE TO MONITOR THE DREAMS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE+'**_

'_Good thinking. I may admire Wesker in some ways but I'm not about to become like him.'_

I like Wesker's charisma, intellect and I admit, I even like the powers he possesses but he was too extreme. That being, he started exhibiting delusions before his death and he was just too selfish for his own good that he burned way too many bridges.

It was not entirely Wesker's fault that he was raised in Spencer's view of the world, where the strong dominated the weak so he grew up to be a strong pro eugenic. While Spencer's aim was to create a superior race of human beings to dominate all others, Wesker instead wished for the inferior humans to be destroyed, leaving behind only the worthy.

Pushing aside that thought, I decided to get out of the apartment for some field tripping. The neighborhood around the apartment building was relatively quiet but there were a few points of interest here and there.

Mentally commanding the nanites, my entire clothes of usual Wesker-style becomes white undershirt, dark blue jeans, leather combat boots complete with red leather jacket and red tinted round sunglasses with side shields before I left my apartment. Also, the usual slick back hairstyle turned into wild and spiky. Looking myself in the mirror, the new appearance reminded me of Tyler Durden from the movie _Fight Club_ and I smiled softly at the mirror. The first smile to ever grace my face since I was transported here to the Mass Effect universe.

Strolling through the street market not five blocks away from my apartment I realized that I do have a place to visit, a weapon shop. Walking for a few more minutes and sightseeing the everyday life of the station's inhabitants, I wondered if anyone ever thought of what might happen in three years' time. One moment you're leading a peaceful life, if relatively, to another where you're dealing with giant squids falling from the sky with the intent to kill. It was either adapt or die situation. And most of them are nowhere ready for it.

Reaching at my destination, I entered the weapon shop and found a Turian behind the counter. Judging by the lack of crest of horns, the Turian was a female. Behind the female Turian showcase the impressive arrays of weapons, armors and many accessories highlighted with spotlights, making them glow and a sight to see.

She even has a few antique looking weapons in bullet-resistant glass boxes. She must have a knack for ancient weapons then.

"Welcome there. Anything you need, Acanus's Arsenal has it…" She trailed off when she looked up from whatever she was doing on the work table. Now many other races don't know how to read Turian facial expressions but I could clearly see the area around her eyes twitched a bit when she saw me. Either she was off put by my fashion sense or she was taking time to process it. Or none of the above as her tone changed into slight indignation.

"What do you need, _Human_?" Oh, the Human part was said with such venom that it could melt through metal like Rachni's acid spit. Ok, she just didn't like us Humans.

Even 23 years after the First Contact War, there were quite a lot of Turians who didn't get along with Humans and vice versa. There was just too much bad blood in between to just shake hands and talons to move on.

"A strange request Ma'am if I've to say," I approached her. She's tall, probably six feet but I'm taller. Her eyes were trying to burn a hole in my sunglasses but I ignored it. "So, I'll just show you." I said as I reached for one of my Punishers slowly so as not to alarm her.

Her predatory eyes narrowed at where the Human's hand was going and for a moment, she tried to be ready and reached for her sidearms but when the Human in strange attire pulled out a silvery looking weapon unlike anything she's ever seen before came out, she became intrigued. She has seen almost every type of firearms and not recognizing one was just not her. Not to mention she's a savant in weapons of both modern and antique.

Receiving the offered weapon, she admired it closely. Then she realized that this is an antique Human weapon from a hundred year or so. "Mark XIX Desert Eagle. Where the hell did you get something this pristine?" She looked at the Human who's still looking at her through his sunglasses. She didn't like it when she can't see a person's eyes.

Since Asari and Human facial expressions were nearly the same, it helped her distinguish between the neutral and the one that meant her harm. Yet, even if she couldn't see the eyes, she should have been able to get some readings from the facial muscles but this Human was showing none.

"Technically, it's no longer Mark XIX. It has evolved so what you're holding now is Mark XXII Punisher." I said as I leaned my elbows slightly on the glass counter.

"Never heard of it, but what are you going to do with this? It's not like gun powder-based guns are effective in this century. This gun belongs in a museum or to a collector." She retorted, laying the Punisher gently on the surface.

"Contrary to what you might think, this gun has proven useful to me in more than one occasion."

"Oh really? This gun taking down kinetic barrier and piercing the armor?" She asked skeptically.

"Why don't you try it out for yourself if you doubt it?"

The female Turian looked at me for a while then seeing no reason to turn down, she invited me to the back of her store where a shooting range was located. I also saw a few Quarians and a Krogan assembling assault rifles and shotguns. So that must be her employees. It was a sight to see a Turian hiring Quarian and Krogan. Usually, the Turians were pretty vocal about the Quarians.

We reached the target range where she pressed a holo console to bring up a few target dummies to test the Punisher. Once they popped out from the floor, she didn't hesitate and immediately flicked off the safety, holding the Punisher in two talons then unloading rounds after rounds at the target dummies, either scoring head shots or heart shots.

After shooting five rounds, she paused and switched on the kinetic barriers on the last intact dummy and shot another time. Passing right through the barrier and taking off the head with the final shot, she seemed surprised and impressed.

The rest of the people who were working, stopped their tasks to see their boss firing an unknown weapon. With the muzzle break still attached, the Punisher was making one hell of a scene with its thunderous boom.

She just stood there for a while admiring her handiwork. Say it what you will about the Turians having a stick up their asses but their females didn't look that bad either. Their bodies' structures lean and tall. If only they don't walk awkwardly, it would have been an A in my book. Well, you know what they say, you can't have everything.

"So how do you know that I'm a female? Usually Humans can't differentiate between a male and a female Turian since we, the females don't have breasts unlike the Human and Asari." She questioned, still facing straight towards the targeting range.

"I do my research; your species may all have the distinctive flanging effect in your voices but the lack of crest horns on your head is pretty much what made me realize that you are a female."

"So, what? You're suddenly a Turian expert now. What makes you think you know about my species?" She spat out, deactivating the targeting range. Seeing their boss done with the test shooting, the workers too, return to their respective works.

"Again, what's with the hostility? I thought we were getting along." I argued catching the Punisher back and slamming a fresh magazine and pulling back the slide. "Did I offend you in some way that I don't know about?"

At that question, she just bristled and walked to the front of the store so I followed but was stopped on the way as a large Krogan working on one of the tables stepped in front of me.

"Her brother was killed by a Human and no one caught the killer so, she's very pissed." The Krogan hissed, his red slitted reptilian eyes staring at my shades covered eyes. It would be quite an intimidating effect if I didn't have one too. Besides mine can glow like a blazing coal, so kudos for me.

But before I could pass through the door to go back to the front, a crash sound was heard along with a few gun shots. Rushing instantly to the front, I saw one Asari with a Striker pistol, a Salarian fumbling with his omni-tool to unlock the weapons' lockers and two Batarian; one on the watch out while the other pointing his Raikou pistol at the Turian owner. This was a robbery in progress and who has the brilliant idea to rob from a weapon store.

Seeing me emerged from the door, the Batarian pointing his gun at the shop owner turned to my direction and that's just what the Turian shopkeeper needed for her to whip out the shotgun underneath the counter and bitch slapped the Batarian with the stock then eviscerating his chest at the point-blank range. The Asari on the other threw up a _Barrier_ at the assault with my Punishers but I didn't think twice and aim both the barrels at the Batarian on the lookout. The first shot was blocked but the rounds prove too powerful for his visor so it finally succumbed to the onslaught and the Batarian literally bit the bullet as one round hit right through his mouth, pulverizing his brain, the gray matter bursting out of his four eye sockets and the bullet still going strong hitting the glass panel behind, shattering it into million pieces. Gotta love the HP rounds, it's perfect for dealing with organic targets.

The Asari on the other hand was ducking behind a cover, deciding whether to retreat or stand toe to toe but considering that half of her group was dead, she decided to cut loose and cover her escape by launching a _Warp_ in the direction of Turian shop owner who was dealing with the Salarian.

I jumped towards the Turian just in time to tackle her to the ground. It's just unfortunate that I was sandwiched between her and the floor. Not that it hurt but it reduces my mobility to react to the Salarian's attack with this pistol but I managed to hit one of his horns, making him cried out in pain.

Not wanting to let the Asari get away, I rolled the female Turian over. "Salarian's disabled. I'm gonna go after the Asari." Despite being stunned from being tackled by a Human with a surprising force, she managed to recover quickly to apprehend the Salarian and looked around just to see the Human in red leather jacket disappeared from through the front door.

She couldn't believe it but she was just saved. By a Human nonetheless.

Just as she picked up her shotgun from the floor, her Krogan employee arrived at the scene. "Damn! I missed the actions. Who shot the Pyjak's horn anyway?"

**X-X-X**

I followed her blood trail as the Asari tried to run. I was enjoying it, the thrill of hunting a prey, it was intoxicating. I could literally smell the fear hormones permeating from the Asari. The Asari finally took a left and entered the back alley, hoping to lose her pursuer.

No longer wanting to toy with the prey, I _Flash Step_ to her location and ran along the wall beside her to get directly in front of her. She flared her biotics on reflex and launched a _Throw_ at me. I stumbled backwards a few steps and decided that I should never approach a biotic face to face unless I'm sure about what I'm gonna do next. Before I could charge again, she launched a relatively weak _Warp_ at me and it hit me square in the chest.

'_**+FOREIGN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECEDTD! CONSISTENT WITH ELEMENT ZERO. PURGING THE ENERGY FROM THE BODY AND ADAPTING AGAINST FUTURE DARK ENERGY ASSAULTS. COUNTERMEASURES IMPLEMENTING+'**_ Frost informed me through the link but I was already on _Flash Step_, dodging the mass accelerator rounds hurling at me from her assault rifle.

Finally, the rifle overheated and the Asari proceeded to vent the heat which was just the opportunity I need and I zoomed right in front of her to which she dropped her gun. "What are you? How are you dodging my shots? Oh, Goddess please don't kill me." She pleaded the Human with the red sunglasses.

It was supposed to be a simple smash and grab then it all went downhill as soon as another unexpected person entered the scene and started shooting regardless of the owner being at the gunpoint. And now she was being chased down by an inhuman Human that moved faster than any species she had ever encountered. It was almost like a biotic _Dash_.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that." I _Flash Step_ a few meters back from her and send two rounds straight to her head, blowing it into bloody mess. With her head gone, her body dropped down like a puppet with the strings cut off.

It became a recent policy to never let anyone know about my not-so-human capabilities unless I wanted them to. Which meant I preferred to fight in a place where there was little surveillance and by standers as possible. _'Frost, you know the drill. Wipe every camera and recording devices within the six-block radius.'_

'_**+AFFIRMATIVE SIR. ANY AND ALL DIGITAL RECORDS WITH YOUR PRESENCE IN IT HAVE BEEN REMOVED+'**_

As for the Asari corpse, the Keepers will take care of it. Pretty sure that that's how they are replenishing their population. Somewhere in this station, there are protein vats that break down bodies to raw organic material and making new Keepers. I will sooner or later find those place that were denied to the station inhabitants. My nanites are working full time to survey every nook and cranny of this station, both inside and outside then full station surveillance is probably next. ***George Orwell's 1984 intensifies.**

**X-X-X**

I returned back to the shop and a few C-Sec officers were already on the scene, taking the account of the story and collecting evidences and whatnot.

The shopkeeper saw my approach and waved her talons at me. I recognized the officer that was questioning the female Turian who was none other than Detective Decian Chellick of course.

"Sir, I understand that you were here when the robbery was taking place?" Detective asked while I stood beside the shopkeeper.

"Yes, that would be correct officer." I answered, as I took off my leather jacket to readjust the shoulder holster. Seeing my Punishers, the Detective raised the Turian equivalent of his eyebrows. If the Turians have them of course.

"Don't worry officer I'm in or rather was in law enforcement. Just arrived to this place just yesterday." Chellick nodded at that and for next ten to fifteen minutes was spent time recounting the story.

"You know I might swing by the place after this. I'm currently unoccupied and the C-Sec might need an extra pair of helping hands." I told Chellick casually.

"Well if you have distinguished service and experience on you then who knows but ultimately it all depends on the Executor so good luck Mr.…?"

"Wesker. Albert Wesker." I repeated my name.

Chellick nodded at that. "That'll be all Mr. Wesker and good luck."

"So, I guess I haven't introduced myself yet," said the flanging voice that I know belonged only to the present Turian in the vicinity. "Acanus. Facilia Acanus."

"Well it has been a pleasure Ms. Acanus."

"You too, Mr. Wesker. I thank you for taking down those thugs at the store. For that I truly am, it's the only place that I've left after my brother got-…" Facilia's voice softened at the end. Knowing the story, I decided not to say anything for now.

"You know; I would have never thought that your peashooters are going to be effective in a fire fight but if I haven't tried it by myself or see you fight with it then I would have dismissed it easily." Her voice returned with a little bit of mirth.

"Yeah, it's pretty handy yet also sentimental for me."

"Someone gave those to you." I nodded at that. "Because whoever that someone, sure knows how to tame the recoil of the gun because I barely felt it when I was testing at the range. And with how the gun is capable of passing through kinetic barriers, I can only say that it's one of a kind. Just need to solve the armor piercing issue and limited ammunition problem. It's also a wonder the gun didn't break the user's wrist or blow up."

"I gotta go and hopefully we'll see each other again yeah."

"Yeah sure ok. Don't hesitate to come back for any weapons, whether buying or selling."

"Thanks."

**X-X-X**

Leaving the shop, I headed towards the Embassies where the Executor Pallin's office is there. Passing through an isolated alley, I commanded my nanites to shift again, replacing the red leather jackets and jeans to the original attire consisting of black leather trench coat and dark sunglasses. Also, my dirty blonde hair was slicked back rather than remain standing like spikes just now.

About ten minutes later, I arrived in front of the Executor's office. Inside, a Turian with white face paint sat behind his desk, checking his terminal and comparing with the OSDs in front of him. I cleared my throat to let him know of my presence.

"What do you need, Human?" Pallin asked, looking up from his work. This guy, full name: Venari Pallin, Turian, a thirty-year C-Sec veteran and also dislikes both Spectres and Humans. Spectres for being above the law. Humans from political view point of becoming too powerful.

"It's not what I need really. It's all about the safety and prosperity of the Citadel, that is the mission of C-Sec, isn't it?" I asked calmly, stepping inside his office which was pretty spacious. You could probably play a mini-golf or table tennis.

"Yes, what is your point Human?" Pallin pressed, he too stood up and scrutinized carefully with his pair of beady eyes. He saw the male Human to be tall, strongly built and wearing a set of clothing uncommon to him. '_Is he part of some organization?'_ He wondered briefly but he continued his observation of the Human. _'Walks with confidence and power, and also aura of danger but he seems to be competent at what's he doing.'_ Stepping inside his office further, he said something and raised both of his arms to make a point and his eyes immediately took notice of something underneath his trench coat. _'Is that a weapon?'_ He tensed and reached for his own pistol.

"You don't need to do that Executor; we're having a friendly chat after all." I spoke up as I saw him reached for his gun.

Consider this as an ice breaking conversation just before you take a look of what I've to show." I brought up my omni-tool which unlike others, was red in color instead of the usual orange that seems to be everywhere. I've no ideas why they choose orange though. It hurts just looking at it.

The Executor looked carefully at my omni and suddenly his device chimed, signaling an incoming data package. He opened it and read for a while, looking equally between me and the dossier that Frost concocted.

"So, what? You want a job, is that it? Look Human, serving here is a privilege, not something you just stuff your files and expected to get something quick. Usually you must be endorsed by your own race's Ambassador or a Councilor. You just barged in and expect me to just hire you. You need a sponsor."

Before he could speak another word, I started. "What about you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean how about you become my sponsor. I ease up your workload and assist in some of your more troublesome task. It's a win-win situation, don't you think?"

The Executor contemplated for a while. It's not an easy job to just sponsor and it's an open secret that he didn't like Humans. But he did need extra helping hand though. He just lost a few good men a few weeks ago and he knew just where this Human might be useful in. It's a very responsible task sponsoring a new officer since C-Sec is the law and order on the Citadel and answers directly to the Citadel Council.

"Ok let me call a few of your superiors that you worked under before." If he's going to hire this Human, this needed to be thorough and authentic. He couldn't afford any mistakes on his end.

Even though my face remained still and my eyes were still covered, that didn't mean that my Worry-O'Meter was climbing up like a rocket. Just who the fuck is going to answer the inquiry by the Executor. _Goddamn it!_

But before I could do anything, the first on the contact list of my supposed 'superiors' answered and I grinned at what's happening in front of me. The terminal screen was filled with a face of Human female and I realized that I was saved when the face was the very same that belongs to my resident AI, Frost.

'_Oh you, clever little girl. Thank's for acting quick Frost. You're a life saver.' _I complimented; my pride swelled at my companion.

'_**+YOU DON'T THINK I WOULD LEAVE YOU LIKE THAT. AND YOU'RE WELCOME AND SAVING YOU IS PART OF ME BOSS+'**_

'_I guess the nanites injection are starting to become useful eh.'_ The Executor was still conversing with my supposed 'superior' and calling another one at the same time. He hung up the first one and the second one picked up and he proceeded to ask more about me again. This went on for about two more people and finally he relented. Seemingly impressed with all the remarks and commendations showered to the Human in front of him, he decided to wrap up the procedure.

Oh, he still required to do a lot of paper works for adding the Human into the C-Sec ranks, starting with filling the Sponsorship Forms and most importantly dealing with the Councilors. But it would be a bonus if this sudden inclusion of Human into C-Sec vexed that Human Ambassador from next door. Pallin smiled thinly at that thought.

"So, I've read your files and validated them. Also checked up with your previous superiors and co-workers. They all said commendable things to you Mr. Wesker but here in C-Sec, this is ain't one of those colony-type police department so you gonna have to prove it with your work. The moment I heard one thing about a misconduct or any others, considered yourself kicked out of the force."

"Thank you, Executor. Just so you know, failure is not in my vocabulary." I replied coolly.

The Turian Executor just shook his head.

"So, where do I start then? And when?"

"I will not bore you with a speech but no matter how good you are, you gonna have to climb the steps again. So, let's start with the Customs." I could swear that he's enjoying this, giving me the rank of a Custom Officer.

"You gonna screen the passengers, cargos and even ships that pass through the Citadel's many ports. You will scan with your eyes, intuition and omni-tool. Search for the contrabands and confiscate them. Find the smugglers and arrest them. Make the Citadel safe by not letting any scumbags bring in illegal contrabands." He listed my duties.

I just nodded and continued to listen his semi-rant about the a few things that are to dos and don'ts.

"You will be reporting early in the morning at the Customs Division so prepare yourself and dismissed Officer Wesker."

"Copy that Executor."

**X-X-X**

Fucking great. Customs Officer/Agent. The real Wesker would be fuming at this. He would have probably ripped Pallin's heart, out from his chest cavity, stuff it in his mouth, chop of the head and make a stew out of that bird brain. A part of me even considered that. I guess a few traits from Wesker was inevitable. Let's just hope I don't get his delusions of godhood.

Exiting the Executor's office and I decided to go back to my apartment. But as I was walking away, I heard an ongoing conversation between two men, both of their voices recognizable. One was Udina while the other was Captain Anderson. The topic varied from the report of pirate/slaver sightings and harassments to the Human colonies to more human immigrations to the Citadel. Finding it to be unimportant, I continued my way to my apartment.

Arriving at my place, I began preparing for tomorrow. _'Frost, I think the __**Project**__**Mayhem**__ might be happening very soon. Having a job as a Custom agent might become a blessing in disguise.'_

'_**YES, INDEED SIR. WE HAVE TO START WITH SOMETHING AND STARTING SMALL WOULD BE JUST WHAT WE NEED.'**_

**Project **_**Mayhem**_ consists of three stages involving the criminal holdouts here in the Citadel. Basically, the project aim is to cause as much as chaos, destructions, infightings, and inevitable all-out war between mercenaries, street gangs, thugs, and every other imaginable low life criminal here on the Citadel.

The main purpose behind this was simple. I required resources in both material and credit. Now playing vigilante will not work for long. But careful nudge here and there, driving wedge between factions or a little misinformation leak at the right time would make it effective without grabbing a gun and storming the criminal outposts.

Also thinking about making another type of gun under the project designation "Alt + T". The Punishers were great but, in the end, they were just pistols, heavy one at that but I needed something efficient and deadly. I needed to make myself an assault rifle. Not the mass accelerator type but the traditional one that spits out bullets and not metal shavings.

I may like the Mass Effect games but I always find the weapons in the game to be flimsy. It's like toys and not like weapons of war. Sure, the mass accelerator weapons are advanced technologically, have thousands of shot per ammo block, they're foldable (compact). But they tend to overheat and using thermal clips later was not really that different from using magazine fed guns, since the projectiles are metal shavings, they didn't offer penetration in the fashion of the slugs except maybe from the sniper rifles. Stopping power is another factor that prompted me to make different guns that don't rely on mass effect principle.

So, I decided to go old school on firearms developed with heavy tech upgrades and improvements that will make the new line of guns far superior than anything this galaxy and its tech base can offer.

For now, I decided to have a bit of rest before I start my new job so I poured the leftover booze bought from Omega into a glass. Sipping the mixture of Scotch and Ryncol, it was a real kicker. Usually it would knock out a person with just one shot but here I am drinking them like apple juice. It caused me a slight buzz but it went quickly as it came. Fuck the nanites, maybe I should order them not to negate the effect but eh, this way I don't have to deal with hangover in the morning. With that thought I fall asleep on my bed as my attires dutifully evicted themselves from my body to be hung on a nearby chair.

**X-X-X**

Wesker was looking over a hanger where a stealth bomber was parked in it. Then he heard two pair of footsteps from behind.

"Your plans are finished, Wesker!" Chris shouted. He and his partner with their sidearms at ready.

"There's no way out this time!" Sheva added.

"Don't you two ever tire of failing in your mission?" Wesker said in a bored tone. He took off his sunglasses, "You've really become quite an inconvenience for me." He threw back his sunglasses to the two agents.

As expected, Chris caught the sunglasses and Wesker used that distraction to approach the duo, pulling away Sheva's gun-wielding hand and elbowed Chris which sent him crashing to the nearby support pillar. Wesker twisted the female agent's arm, making her twirl in mid-air and hit the floor hard and he just put back his sunglasses like nothing happened.

Of course, Chris not wanting go down without a fight fired his gun and Wesker just dodged them like so many times before. Chris ran towards the man that he has been shooting and tried to tackle him with all his might which only pushed Wesker a few feet. Wesker stopped the momentum, tilted his head and kneed him in the gut and elbowed him on his back then threw him away to hit the metal handrail that overlooked the hanger.

Chris recovered quickly and fired his gun again and Wesker cartwheeled to avoid the bullets and landed on his feet beside the still recovering Sheva. Grabbing her hand, and twisting her body around then using his arm in a chokehold to use her as a meat shield.

"Why are you doing this?" Chris asked, with his partner being used as a shield he couldn't get a clear shot at Wesker even though he knew that Wesker would just dodge them. "What do you accomplish by unleashing Uroboros?"

"Every day humans come one step closer to self-destruction. I'm not destroying the world I'm saving it!" Wesker replied and he threw Sheva aside only to be met with more point-blank gunshots to which he dodged again until Sheva too joined in the fray. As both of them got near, they engaged him in close quarter combat. Chris got a mean right hook while Sheva unleashed more bullets, Chris's kick got blocked, and Sheva's gun was slapped away but not dropped.

Wesker blocked another strike from Chris and intercepted Sheva's kick but both of them tried their hardest to put a round at Wesker until they became too close and entwined. Wesker used that to grab both of them, outstretched gun holding arms in a crisscross and used that as leverage to throw them off to the main hangar bay's floor.

He too jumped down to the hangar floor, the hangar bay door opening as the stealth bomber prepared to take off.

"Things are really getting interesting now, eh Chris?" Wesker said smugly. "Do you actually think you can defeat me?"

"Either way, I'm not gonna stop until I'm dead!" Chris answered with firm conviction. Wesker just chuckled at that.

"Well then, I'll just have to kill you quickly."

**X-X-X**

Wesker stumbled backwards, groaning in pain as he clutched his chest where the serum that kept the virus inside him stable was overdosed. Dropped down to his knees, he pulled off and threw away the syringe.

"Did it work?" Sheva asked.

"I think so." Chris replied.

Wesker approached the two but he was starting to get one hell of bad vision and head splitting headache as he grabbed his head and growled in pain. He took off his sunglasses which revealed the blood vessels popping on his face and his slitted reptilian eyes bright red.

"This isn't over, Chris!" Wesker said with hatred and menace but he turned away to jump for the stealth bomber.

The bomber reoriented by the landing platform and prepared to take off. Chris and Sheva caught the plane in the nick of time before it accelerated at great speed and took off from the Tricell tanker.

**X-X-X**

"It seems I may have underestimated you, Chris."

"Save it Wesker. There's no one left to help you now."

"I don't need anyone else."

"I have Uroboros! In less than five minutes we'll reach the optimal altitude for missile deployment. Uroboros will be released into the atmosphere ensuring complete global saturation."

Wesker rushed towards Chris but he managed to dodge the strike. But that didn't help as his hand was yanked and he received a powerful palm side uppercut to his chin and spun around to receive a forceful kick in the face which sent him flying away from the hangar door.

Wesker spun around, using the gun he got from this fight with Chris to shoot Sheva. She ran and hid behind an iron beam. "Your feeble attempts only delay the inevitable." He kept shooting in Sheva's general direction at the same time he was dodging Chris's shots. "The entire world will be infected."

He kept his shooting while speeding near Chris's position and finally he reached and whipped out his own personal gun, the Samurai Edge to aim at Chris's face.

"A new genesis is at hand and I will be the creator." Wesker proclaimed.

At that same time, Sheva ran from the side to slash at Wesker with her knife but he cartwheeled and this time he fixed on the ceiling of the bomber like a spider. Before he could shoot, Chris put two rounds which hit his hand making him drop his weapon. He landed with his legs on Chris's shoulder then he swiped at the feet and kicked him. Sheva attacked him with her knife which he stopped it in its track by blocking with his forearm. The knife entered his arm but he didn't even flinch and grabbed Sheva's neck in turn but she climbed to his shoulder and used her legs to throw him on the floor.

Before he got up again, Chris approached him behind and injected him with another shot. "I've had enough of your bullshit!"

"You're just another one of Umbrella's leftovers." Chris finished.

"You know what we have to do." Sheva said to her partner. They couldn't let the bomber reach the necessary altitude to disperse the virus.

"Alright I'll go for the override lever. Cover me!" Chris ran for the lever of the emergency door release.

Wesker tried to intercept but was delayed by dodging Sheva's gunfire. He reached and punched the wall just as Chris pulled the lever but it was too late. "You'll pay for that!"

"Hang on!" Chris shouted to his partner. Wesker was already drifting slowly backwards as the cabin pressure was losing rapidly.

Wesker flung towards the slowly opening hangar door but he managed to grab Sheva's leg as she too was struggling to hold the beam.

Sheva looked at her partner and made the decision. She released her hands and prepared to sacrifice herself if it meant taking down Wesker with her but Chris saw that and he was suddenly hit with flashbacks of the same thing happening to his former partner, Jill who also sacrificed herself to save his life.

"No!" Chris released his hold to help his partner and caught one of her hand. "I'm taking the two of you with me." Wesker yelled, still holding on Sheva's leg.

"Like hell you will!" Sheva barked and fired a round at Wesker which made his hold loose and sent him off the bay door while the bomber kept plummeting towards the volcano.

**X-X-X**

Somehow the bomber hit the rim of the volcano, skidding on the hot magma then came to a stop. And two agents miraculously survived the crash and exited out the plane. If two ordinary humans could survive the crash then why not Wesker who has super regeneration. He too came out, standing atop the wrecked bomber and glaring at the two agents beneath him, his upper body clothes gone now only left with his black trousers.

"I should've killed you, years ago… Chris." Said Wesker.

"Your mistake. It's over, Wesker!" replied Chris pointing his gun at the bio terrorist.

"Over?"

"It's just getting started." And he punched the nearby missile with his fist, puncturing it which contained the Uroboros Virus. The leeches like virus snaked around his body and merging with him turning him into half-man half-monster.

"Time to die, Chris."

**X-X-X**

Wesker stumbled backward until he was separated from his arch enemies. His leech-like arms waving wildly and the bedrock underneath him breaking apart and fell right into the lava pit yet he didn't die or burst into flame. Testament of the Uroboros potency despite being sensitive to intense heat. Not to mention the virus hasn't merged with the host completely yet.

As if on cue, a chopper piloted by Josh Stone along with Jill Valentine arrived on the scene.

"Grab on!" Jill shouted from the chopper as she threw the rope ladder down to her comrades.

Sheva went first, followed next by Chris after nearly falling into the lava himself. But Wesker wasn't done.

"CHRIS!"

Enraged, insane, refused to acknowledge his mortality and also obsessed with killing Chris, he extended his leech-consumed left arm to grab hold of the escaping chopper to yank it down.

"Chris, Sheva, use these!" Jill pointed two RPG-7s hanging on the wall of the chopper.

"Ready partner?" said Chris as two of them hefted each RPG to finish their foe together.

"Locked and loaded." Sheva replied.

"Suck on this, Wesker." Chris said before both he and his partner squeezed their triggers launching the warheads straight into Wesker's face, killing him in fiery explosion.

I gasped, opening my eyes and again treated with the sight of ever presence pinkish-hue translucent fluid around me. _'Oh no, not this shit again. Where the fuck am I anyway?'_

Then suddenly, I saw a piercing light exploded on the corner of my vision. And some kind of streamline looking creature flashed into existence and started moving forward. _'What in the hell is that?'_

After a while the creature disappeared again like exiting out of the membrane-like surrounding as if popping free into another place.

And I was back on the land of the living, my upper body drenched in sweat and I found myself leaning against the wall that the bed was stacked against, panting slightly.


	4. 03: Running Up The Hill

**Mass Effect & Resident Evil are the properties of Bioware and Capcom respectively. I do not own them. All rights go towards them.**

**Chapter 3: Running Up the Hill**

**(2180, Sep – Oct)**

Waking up after another one of Wesker's past memories and another weird vision, I got up from the bed after seeing that it was already 0630 in the morning. Taking a hot shower for about eight minutes, I stepped out of the bathroom and I just let the nanites clean up the water from my body.

It was very convenient once you get past the nanites crawling on your body but since they were everywhere inside my body and which also includes my family jewels, suddenly the nanites slathering all on your body wasn't exactly that weird anymore in comparison. After completing the task, they returned to the usual leather attire with the trench coat and the sunglasses.

Since I hadn't stocked up the fridge, there was literally nothing for me to eat so I got down from my apartment and discovered that there was a small coffee shop not too far away, opened by a Human couple. They made pretty good stuffs like brownies and croissants. The coffee too ain't that bad so I bought half a dozen of them with two cups of black coffee. Despite not being a coffee drinker, I found it easier to stuff down the croissants with the help of coffee. And the breakfast was finished in five minutes as I watched the coming and going of the people in the early morning by a small overarching bridge that crossed the artificial river that was built as part of the Presidium. Reapers may be machines but they sure know how to attract the organics. Reapers 1 – Organics 0.

Reaching the C-Sec Academy, I went straight towards the front receptionist who directed me to an assigning officer after I sent him the dossier from my omni-tool. Though the original omni-tool was long ago assimilated by the nanites, what most people were seeing was actually my nanites taking the form of an omni-tool so my omni-tool was the gateway and the front for my nanites whenever they performed a miracle. It was also sweet that I could change my omni-tool color to whatever the hell I want. Instead of dull orange, I now wear the ruby red color omni-tool on my left wrist.

The assigning officer redirected me again to the requisition officer who provided me with the equipments that I would need as a Customs agent.

"You can't wear your leather trench coat. You've to wear the C-Sec uniform." The requisition officer said as he handed me a C-Sec uniform. Seeing as it was not a problem I headed for the changing room and I basically ordered the nanites to absorb the C-Sec uniform and morphed it on my body. While the previous nanite 'leather attire' was stored inside a bag given by the requisition officer. Not really but who was going to check my stuffs anyway.

"You're being assigned to Docking Bays E21 - E29. Any ships that docked there, you and someone, depending on the shift will be checking it out. Do you have a weapon of your own or do you need one?"

"Thanks, but I've got my own." I said as I showed my own Lvl. VII _Razer_ pistol made by Kassa Fabrication which was actually taken from the _**Starburst's**_ cargo hold where the smugglers were keeping various stolen weapons and armors in crates. Also, other stuffs that I haven't really checked out yet.

So, I didn't have to worry about not having weapons. I could safely bet that there might be a crate or two filled with Spectre Gears.

About that ship, it was as expected. The C-Sec found the dead guy and they impounded the ship. A copy of Frost was on standby in the ship system so it could be summoned whenever or wherever I want. Not to mention the nanites that were injected into the Citadel Network were working its way through. Patience and subtlety were the key in tapping the vast network of the giant space station.

Speaking about the nanites in the system, I suddenly remembered about the task that Frost was given.

'_What's the status of our worms?'_ I asked.

'_**IT IS FINISHED SIR. AND SPREADING.'**_ Came the AI's reply.

'_Glad to hear it.'_ Basically, I'm using the worms, digital worms mind you, to siphon off credits from the criminals, warlords, drug rings, smugglers, (corrupt) politicians so on and so forth. The unsavory characters were mainly targeted. Frost would follow the tidbits of data and news to evaluate whether it was the right target or not. This way, the worms would not touch from the honest and hard-earned accounts. After all money (credit) was another form of super power.

Taking an air car to my destination I arrived not ten minutes later. Although I was wearing the C-Sec Customs uniform, I still got to wear my sunglasses. Also, my twin Punishers were safely tucked in their holsters along with my KM 4000 combat knife. _'Hmm I'm gonna need a bigger knife.'_ Decapitating a Vorcha merc with a six and a half-inch blade wasn't exactly practical.

Upon my arrival I was greeted by another officer who would be my partner. A Human male in his early twenties.

"Hey, nice shades. Though the last time I saw someone wear those was my grandfather so…" Said the guy, who was wearing a worn-out baseball cap. "Um, the name's Aaron Ward."

"Wesker. You'll know the first name later. Run me through the procedures and let's get it on."

"_Let's get it on… _Sure, straight to the point." I knew there's a chance of him being a fucking annoyance but I just ignored him. "Alright you stiffy."

Just great. Gonna blend in nicely with my self-brooding and indifferent attitude.

After half an hour of listening to his lecture about the docking and stuffs. I got the pretty good picture of what I've to do. It was pretty simple you see. You find contrabands, you confiscate them and also the ship's captain that carries them even if they have no idea about them.

Let's just hope that any contrabands that I capture would be befitting for my **Project** _**Mayhem**_.

**X-X-X**

The first one that I got to board and check was none other than a passenger ship hailing from a Human colony.

"Ma'am you can't bring this to the Citadel. We don't know if there's any organism that would disrupt the station's ecology." I explained, looking at the piece of tree bark brought by the elderly woman who was adamant to use it for herbal medicines.

"Oh, I don't know that. They said that this piece of wood would be helpful in reawaking dormant libido." The elderly woman replied sweetly. _'Jeez I don't even want to imagine who's going to use it.'_

A quick check with my nanites produced some result from the tree bark. It has some properties resembling that of Viagra but not so sure about firing up the sex drive. It was not the bark itself but because of the microscopic insects that were clinging on the surface so that's a no.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. I can't let you take that any further." I replied, forcing myself to look a bit sad.

With that done I put away the _'herbal medicines'_ in a hermetically sealed containment bag after I chipped off a piece. Scientific part of me was intrigued. Not that I was going to start selling them.

**X-X-X**

The next few were too passenger ships so not really interesting. Until the last one, a pregnant woman got off and if no one noticed it then I did because she was all walking funny. Not because of she was pregnant. Perks of being with nanites in your body was that I could be a walking-talking detection machine.

Her gait and manner were all messed up. It was like she was being extra careful not to spill her baby out of her body.

"Excuse me lady. If you would please come this way, there are some things that needs further inspecting." I calmly escorted her but it ain't having effects on the young woman who was by now freaking out a bit. Her eyes were all darting around and sweat forming on her brows.

But she complied and followed me from behind but out of the corner of my eyes I saw two more person heading my way. One Batarian and one Human followed not so far away. _'Ok definitely something's going on.'_

Wasting no time, I mentally commanded my nanites to provide an enhanced vision. And the result was not something one would expect because I'm looking at the scene but didn't have the word to describe it.

Instead of a growing fetus like there should be. There were a number of pouches like substances, each the size of a water balloon. '_The fucks are those!?'_

And then my brain ticked. The girl in front of me was being used as a smuggling vessel. Precisely her womb was. Probably drugs.

That's when the two people following closely whipped out their pistols to start shooting. I got nicked right in the shoulder. When I was distracted, the Human grabbed the supposedly pregnant girl while the Batarian kept shooting at my position. Oh, how I wished I could just _Flash Step_ and ripped that guy apart but I'm no longer in Omega or any other place where I could flaunt my powers. I'm in the Cita-fucking-del. Where the mastermind of the Reapers was residing and also where the Councilors were sitting on their asses politicking.

Just too much heat.

Security blackout everywhere I went was a sure thing to attract attention. Likely from the Salarian STG.

So good old fashion way then.

'_Frost, show me where the two of them are going. The one with the girl first.'_ I started jogging with my _Razer_ pistol raised and safety off.

'_**THE ONE WITH THE PREGNANT LADY IS HEADING TOWARDS THE NEAREST RAPID TRANSIT, HAILING AN AIR CAR. SIR, YOU NEED TO HURRY THEY ARE ALREADY BOARDING.'**_

At that advice, I ran fast, careful not to become too fast but fast nonetheless. When I reached there the Human was hoisting up the pregnant woman into the air car. He too was ready to get aboard when I knew it was still far for me to use my pistol considering there were a few families and couples near the scene so I unsheathed my combat knife and threw it right at his Achilles tendon which effectively cripple his left leg.

Seeing that he still has his pistol in his hand, I dashed towards him before grabbing one of the nearby decorative small hanging flower pots. Just as he elevated his pistol to shoot me, I slam-dunked his head with the small flower pot, knocking him out cold. I then carried the pregnant lady out who was already crying and sobbing.

I was met with nearby people wide-eyed and in awe as I brought out the pregnant girl. I walked away like a pro with my shades still on and my hair style unruffled.

I put down the girl on her feet though she was shaking and terrified. The crowds were slowly gathering and I saw the last Batarian guy who escaped earlier in the crowd. Two C-Sec officers approached us and I handed them the girl along with the incapacitated Human drug smuggler.

I raced towards the escaping Batarian just as he saw me noticing him. This guy was quick on his feet but I was on his shadow until he reached the balcony overlooking an Asari statue that was built when they first discovered the Citadel. Seeing no love for the guy, I crashed into him which sent him flying down a few stories till his clothes' collar got hooked on the Asari statue's raised fingers. He was literally dangling by the statue like a piñata.

That Batarian was later unhooked from the statue later by C-Sec and an engineer corp whose Asari members were giving me all sorts of stink eyes. Yeah, I learnt that statue was erected in honor to their Goddess, Athame. So, it was borderline desecration when a Batarian lowlife criminal was flapping on their statue like a fly caught in a web.

I was right when I learnt of the things inside the pregnant girl. Those were packets of Red Sand, at least ten pounds stuffed inside the girl's womb. You guess how the packets were inserted inside the girl.

Now the original me would feel something about it and do something about that. The new _'me'_ with Wesker personality, not so much but I did have something up my sleeves. Call it an experiment or field testing.

The two captured thugs didn't last that night as they were found inside their cell bleeding from every orifice. The medical team reported it as spontaneous massive brain hemorrhaging in both persons. Also, they died with their fear level jacked up to eleven. Their brains have more holes than a block of Swiss cheese.

I dispersed a miniscule amount of my nanites and directed it through the ventilation shaft to the prison cell where it entered into the body of the convicts. They travelled to the brain and shredded it into Swiss cheese. And no one the wiser since I was boarding a freighter when they were frothing and oozing blood. With resounding success, I named it the _"Shredder"_. My brand of tech attack using nanites and it's not gonna be last innovation involving the nanites. I'm gonna start a whole bunch of them. C-Sec doctor performed autopsies on the convicts and noted that their brains were consistent of those who regularly used drugs but the thing was there were no trace of any kind of narcotics in their blood stream. It was shelved as a mystery by the doctor when no other logical explanations could be found.

**X-X-X**

Two more weeks went by with the usual task of confiscating shits and yelling 'NO' to people who brought bizarre things like mummified corpses of their family and electric shock handshake toys with enough voltage to give a full grown Krogan a pause. Also, my ship boarding partner didn't shift like I expected so I was stuck with Ward. Incompetent fool. I have no idea how he missed the very thing that nearly chopped my hand off.

It went like this…

"Sir. Do you have the license for these Varren meats?" I asked the Salarian with the butcher apron still fastened around his waist as I pointed the cryogenically frozen container full of said meat. Especially said Varren meats were saturated with eezo.

"Oh yeah. Yeah the license for those." He reached inside his leather apron and the next thing I knew when his hand was out, not with the license but with a huge butcher knife. I was waiting for the license to be sent to my omni-tool so I was barely able to dodge his cleaver knife. A slight hesitation and, my outstretched omni-tool equipped hand would be on the floor. Not that I couldn't regrow the limb but it would have raised many collective eyebrows and questions.

But that's all the Salarian butcher could do before I dodged a few more of his wild slashing and grabbed his tiny arms, disarmed him and when he didn't cooperate, I used his own cleaver knife to flatten a few of his spindly fingers with the flat surface of the knife. Oh, he yelled really loud before crying like a little bitch.

How the fuck Ward missed that big ass knife was not something I could comprehend? Was he ignorant or just incompetent? And he had the gall to play innocent in all that.

But then an idea popped into my mind to teach him a lesson and that idea became a reality the next morning when Ward started to get 'itchy' and lurid in front of other cops and civilians when he started stripping his uniform and grinding against one of the poles in the docking bay. He was given a leave for the rest of the day.

You see, his morning coffee was spiked with an unknown drug. That's what the C-Sec doctor said anyway. But I knew the truth since I was the one who spiked his coffee with the tree bark that I grounded into fine powder that exhibits properties similar to that of Viagra. Despite being a natural Viagra, it's effective against blood clots so I gave it a thumb's up.

That was not all because the **Project **_**Mayhem**_ started progressing nicely when I caught at least two dozen of cargo ships caught sneaking in with weapons, artifacts and drugs. I tagged those cargos with my nanites, swapped a few things between the crates. Like putting weapons and armors intended for the Blood Pack to the Blue Suns while the Eclipse got their drug crates got all messed up with baby products and cosmetics. It was estimated by Frost that it would take up to three to four months for them to be at each other's throats. Amidst the chaos and violence, I would be reaping their asses and assets.

I was suddenly yanked out of my thought by a loud and haughty voice aiming at my direction. It was none other than a young-looking woman with rich clothing and three-inch tall high heels that made her barely five feet six.

"Hey you! Come here. I've a report to make about my missing luggage." The woman ordered me like she's my boss or something.

"I'm sorry Ma'am but no shouting here. This ain't a street market after all." I replied coolly. And that made her mad as she began fuming, her face contorted into the one that matched her true personality.

"How dare you? Do you know who I am? And stop calling me a Ma'am, just how old do you think I am, asshole?" She barked indignantly.

"Don't know and don't care… Ma'am." The last one was to spite her and it worked but I quickly changed the subject by bringing up her missing luggage.

"Now I believe that I was to help find your missing item."

"… YES! Aren't you listening?" She sputtered, flapping her hands in the air in an un-lady like manners.

"Please wait a minute while I check for your missing luggage." I'm tired of being polite to this bitch and my patience too was running on fume.

I went straight for the cargo bay of the ship that she came out and saw that many of the stuffs were already being moved out and I saw a lone man loitering around the bay. _'That's strange because normally the cargos are unloaded with lifters monitored by a VI. No need for labor force and no room for errors too.'_

I was about to call out to him until I saw his sidearm hanging by his waist. This ain't someone who was here to find his missing bag. This was someone who was trying to retrieve something and I was kind of right sine he opened a luggage that likely belonged to that obnoxious bitch. He retrieved an OSD and a sleek looking metallic case from the hidden compartment of the luggage that even the owner probably has no knowledge of.

I accessed the C-Sec Immigration records through the nanites and found nothing about the person in front of me. Then I heard a chatter from him. "Objective retrieved. Returning back to base."

'_Frost, did you get where the transmission went to?'_

'_**+THE TRANSMISSION WENT TO AN APARTMENT BLOCK IN THE BACHJRET WARD, SIR. IT SEEMS THAT THE TRANSMISSION ORIGINATED FROM A CELL OPERATED BY A HUMAN-SURVIVALIST PARAMILITARY GROUP KNOWN AS THE CERBERUS+'**_

'_So, dear old Jack is using the unassuming Human passengers as the carrier of Cerberus.'_

'_**+IF YOU WISH TO RETREIVE THE DATA FROM THE OSD YOU NEED TO RELEASE THE NANITES TO DO SO. OTHERWISE IT IS IMPOSSILBE WITH REMOTE HACKING SINCE THE OSD DO NOT HAVE EITHER INCOMING OR OUTGOING SIGNAL+'**_

'_No. Just tag the Cerberus Operative.'_

I waited for a few more minutes until the operative left and I retrieved the luggage and returned it back to the ungrateful bitch.

**X-X-X**

I got a few more of Wesker's memories in the form of dreams and equal amount of weird vision/sensation filled episodes that I felt at every end of the dreams. Frost managed to decode tidbits of the Prometheans' history, the creator of the organic nanites; predecessor of the nanites that were swimming in my veins.

They were as expected, old and advanced. More advanced than the Protheans though, probably Type 3 or more on the Kardashev scale. Which put them around at least several dozen million years old or more since they became a space fairing race. And also, their original species name was discovered. They called themselves the 'Ashers'. So, should I keep using Prometheans or Ashers when referring to them? I thought both were fine to me.

It was a fucking wonder how an advanced race got blindsided by their own creation. I meant from what I had learnt so far, they had their own impressive empire spanning hundreds of thousands of worlds if not millions. That was another part of mysteries that I have to wait for conclusive answers.

I also started having one-night stands with the Asari receptionist from downstairs. The one that kept sending me not so subtle signals from the very first time since I arrived at the apartment. Actually, I was pretty amazed that I didn't tap that one at the earliest. I mean I was not as horny as I'm used to when meeting a member of opposite sex. I've become more calculating and detached since I've arrived in this universe. Probably Wesker's traits that I'm exhibiting. Don't get me wrong about Wesker, from what I've learnt from his memory or rather _my_ memory, he can be quite a ladies' man. It was an inevitability.

Sarin Geneviève. That's what she called herself anyway. It was a good thing that I moved to a bigger apartment before I started sleeping with her. A larger one with more space for my own personal lab. At least that's what I was aiming for anyway when I looked for a new apartment and she was really helpful in that endeavor.

I learned a few things when I started seeing her. First, the sex was as expected. It was without question just wonderful. Second, I realized that I was not as crazy about the Asari as most other species. Sure, they have beauty, smooth skin and prominent curves unlike others yet I couldn't really see myself getting serious with Sarin or more like the concept of Asari. You see, Asari could reproduce with almost all the species but the offspring would always be an Asari. They were essentially biological cloning machines. Kind of surprising for them to have to find another person to meld with to procreate when they could theoretically reproduce asexually.

While a part of me was fascinated by that because I knew that Protheans might be somewhat responsible in Asari evolution (one more thing I would have to look into once I've settled down), another part of me found that to be a gigantic turn-off.

Suppose I live thousands of years, which I surely will, the logical thing would be to find a mate in species with longest life span like Asari or Krogan (who am I kidding, Asari would be more likely than Krogan). Which meant that along the way, either I or my mate would want an offspring or two. Being a big believer in legacy and such, I would definitely want a child but a progeny without your blood, traits and characteristics (genetic make ups) was not something I desire. Not just the Wesker part of me that was protesting but also the original me (Ray Parker) was not liking it. Wesker being a pro eugenic also played a big role in that line of thought.

Now, many people (both Humans and aliens) tend to make rash decisions based on their ever-fleeting emotions. And also, libido, thinking with their respective appendages between their legs. They have the tendency to judge a book by its cover and not thinking long term or even mid-term. Humans were more prone to those since their life spans were not as long as the Asari or Krogan.

Even the self-proclaimed enlightened species such as the Asari were still slaves to their own physical bodies (their desires, urges and needs). It was not mind over body but rather body over mind. If these self-proclaimed enlightened blue babes were still struggling in sync with their selves, then you can forget about the rest of the Humanity. Attachments or clinginess were still prominent among the species after all.

While there were ups and downs to everything, people were attached to the material world fiercely. That was part of the reason why biological enhancements such as heavy genetic engineering/rewriting and heavy cyber augmentations were either heavily regulated or banned. You would've thought that many would already have some sort of neural links that connect each other but irrational fears, absurd laws and policies dictated by the Council was hindering the scientific progress in those fields. A part of me wondered whether the Reapers were responsible for that or just another political bullshits that the squids were ruthlessly exploiting. Like with the fear of artificial intelligence.

Who knows?

Back to my hook up with the Asari, she understood from day one that I ain't interested in deeper relationship with her and I was glad to know that she too was more about physical affair than a romantic one. So, it was ultimately a mutually beneficial relationship.

**X-X-X**

'_**+SIR I THINK YOU SHOULD LEARN TO DO HACKINGS ON YOUR OWN WITH THE NANITES+'**_ Frost advised me one day out of the blue when I was having lunch after my morning shift.

'_Why? It's not that I don't think is beneficial but I kind of have you.'_ I replied back while taking a sip from the water bottle.

'_**+YES, BUT YOU ARE A UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT CASE ALTOGETHER, SIR. YOU AND THE NANITES ARE ONE AND TOGETHER EVEN IF THEY HAVEN'T FUSED WITH YOUR BODY YET. THEORETICALLY YOU CAN USE THE NANITES AS THE EXTENSION OF YOURSELF TO WAGE CYBER/ELECTRONIC WARFARE. ESSENTIALLY YOU ARE THE STEPPING STONE OF A HYBRID TECHNO-ORGANIC EVOLUTION. A NEW AND DIFFERENT KIND OF EXISTENCE. IF YOU START LEARNING HOW, NEXT TIME YOU CAN BEGIN TO SLOWLY INTERACT WITH TECHNOLOGY WITH YOUR MIND WITHOUT MY ASSISTANCE+'**_

I thought about that a lot. The ability to interface with technology like hacking with my mind without even bringing up the omni-tool façade or ordering Frost to do was just too valuable not to consider about it. So, I made a decision right there in the cantina.

'_When and how do I begin?'_ I said as I dumped my tray in a nearby trash bin.

'_**+GLAD TO HEAR THAT SIR. NOW I THINK YOU SHOULD START WITH BRINGING FORTH THE NANITES…+'**_

**X-X-X**

That was three weeks ago. Now I am using every seconds of my waking hours to get familiar with the nanites. I did some minor hackings and it was enough to give me migraines and nauseas.

Apparently, I needed to get used to it. Get used to the sensation of entirely different perception, the digital perception to be precise. That was why my organic brain was protesting a new input. It was like a body rejecting a new organ. Frost said it takes time and that it's not unusual.

So now I'm trying to get inside an omni-tool of a C-Sec Patrol agent. The Patrol Division of C-Sec sort of acts like coast guard for the Citadel. The major crises were usually handled by the Citadel Fleet but things like search and rescue, piracy suppression, and interdiction of illegally transported materials were tasked to the Patrol Division. They didn't handle the task of defending the Citadel from naval attacks though.

I could feel my mind expanding, like the nanites that were part of me reaching towards the target. It was not as simple as pressing buttons because you were literally a piece of digital avatar trying to breach the proverbial gate of the target. Imagine locksmiths, they were hackers in a way. Instead of breaching into firewalls, they picked physical locks manually. It was a delicate process. Maybe one day, after enough learning and practicing then I could probably hack on a whim. For now, I've to concentrate a lot to get inside a measly omni-tool.

The nanites were not being used to their fullest extent unlike Frost who was an AI. If my body was not enhanced by the Prototype virus, then I might suffer brain aneurism by the end of the first week when I started practicing.

A slight tingle, like a message notification was felt when I succeeded in the hacking. But my delight was swept away as I was bombarded with the contents of the omni-tool in huge amount. Terabytes of data crashed into my brain like a tidal wave. One after another like a raging tsunami. I gritted my teeth and grabbed my head in a cradle as it kept pouring buck load of raw digital data into an organic brain. My breathing got harsh. The blood vessels were prominent on my forehead. My eyes started to fluctuate, changing from the normal irises to slitted ones and glowing red. It was a relief that I was always wearing my sunglasses. Also, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the cantina so no one noticed my predicament.

'_What the fuck Frost? What the fuck is going on in my head? It's like an Elcor rampaging in my head with a Krogan sitting on top.'_

'_**+SIR, IT WAS NECESSARY. I WOULD HAVE PUT A BUFFER IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT+'**_

'_So, what? I'm gonna have to suffer every time I hack something directly with my mind. Or will it go away after certain period of acclimation?'_

'_**+YES. IT WILL TAKE TIME AND PRACITCE. THE NANITES AND I WILL HELP YOU GREATLY IN THAT REGARD+'**_

I wiped my nose when something liquid was felt trickling down the nostril. Not surprisingly it was blood so I just wiped it on the back of my hand.

**X-X-X**

The omni-tool contents that I managed to hack from the Patrol agent were mostly filled with vids and pornos.

Now I can't scratch the Asari – Hanar porn vids from my mind.

I was interrupted when my omni-tool rang and I commanded it to answer. A voice belonging to Aaron Ward was heard in my mind.

"Hey where are you? We've a big fucking problem in the docks. You got to haul ass immediately." He sounded urgent and since I've finished my lunch, I hastened my pace towards the docks despite being off-duty for the rest of the day.

When I arrived at the docks, it was already in chaos. The C-Sec officers and what appeared to be mercenaries were engaging in a fierce fire fight.

"What's the situation Ward?" I questioned, drawing my _Razer_ pistol off the tactical holster.

"We caught a ship filled with slaves hidden in the ship's bowel. All the people pretending to be passengers started shooting the moment we discovered about the hidden cargo."

"So, we're dealing with mercs and slavers then." I enquired while taking a peek from my cover.

"Exactly. We're waiting for the reinforcement." I moved from my position when a sniper round flew above my head.

"No time. Are there any hostages? I bet there are." Seeing a few of the slaves already on the ground bleeding, probably died trying to get away in the middle of a firefight.

Getting up from my position, my battle awareness in full throttle and the targets were all highlighted in my mind's eyes. Shooting the first round to the nearby Batarian who was busy dragging a squirming slave. Got his attention alright and started pumping rounds after rounds in the face and the neck. Carefully aiming for the unarmored section of the body. Two mercs with shotguns are put down hard when they got too close. One receiving a point-blank shot in the face and another with his own shotgun in the chest.

Using the shotgun as a club in my left hand while I kept shooting with the other hand. Aiming for the weapon in their hands then getting close and clubbing the shit out them then ending them with close range target practice. Every shot unleashed was either aimed at the face or the throat or the head. The only time aiming at other parts of the body were when I wanted it to be.

The _Razer_ pistol started overheating despite selective and effective firing. All around, my coworkers were battling tooth and nail for their lives and hostages but they were dwindling down fast since the Custom officers were usually equipped with a pistol. Not assault rifles. While the combined effort of mercenaries and slavers were spewing hundreds of rounds, the officers were mostly taking cover behind crates and walls.

Things got worse when an A-61 _Mantis_ gunship showed up out of nowhere and started providing air support. Half a dozen more officers were slaughtered when rockets start flying and mass accelerator rounds tore through them like wet tissue papers.

Raising my pistol to aim for the glass cockpit and I unloaded till it overheated. The bulletproof glass of the cockpit was on the verge of breaking so before the gunship turned to my position, I took out my _Punisher_ and emptied a couple more rounds. It finally broke and I unclipped two grenades from a dead merc and hurled right into the cockpit.

With a loud boom, both grenades exploded and brought down the entire gunship as it bursts into flame in mid-air and crashed down in a fiery explosion.

For a while everything went quiet. The mercs, slavers, far away bystanders and my C-Sec officers just stood there alternating their gaze between me and the recently crashed gunship. It was like they've never seen a guy take out a lethal flying machine before in a span of thirty seconds. Oh yeah, they haven't. Especially from a supposed Custom officer.

Just as they turned their head once more to my direction, their collective trance broke when another one of the slaver's brain was splattered all over the floor. That did it and the fighting commenced again.

Seeing that the defending force just kept pouring out of the ship, the logical thing would be to call the Executor again to hurry the fuck up or more would probably die before the relief effort arrived.

'_Frost, I want Pallin on the line ASAP!'_

'_**+RIGHT AWAY, SIR+'**_

A few seconds later the Executor face appeared on my omni-tool and by the look of his face he was clearly stressing out. Skipping the usually pleasantries and decorum, I went for it. "Executor, we need the backup right the fuck now. Probably with half decent weapons." Yelling at his image amidst the slugs flying above my position.

"Hold on officer, we're having shortage of able officers right now. I'm scrapping all the available people right away. Just hang in there for about ten more minutes." Pallin replied back, clearly busy moving around shouting orders to his subordinates by the way of his facial change.

"Roger that Executor but the officers are being slaughtered here. So, hurry the fuck up will you."

The horde of mercs and slavers were not a problem for me. It's the others that were in deep shit. Anyway, if the reinforcement was not gonna be here for a while then more of those dirtbags down would be taken down by me. They had chosen one hell of a day to pick a fight especially when a well-deserved break for the rest of the day was around the corner.

Jumping out of the cover with that in mind I started pumping rounds after rounds, blitzing through the enemy formation. Shooting them at close range meant guaranteed hits and fatality. Not just my guns that were spewing bullets but also my hands and legs were flying around, striking any unfortunate bastard within melee range.

Oh yeah, though fancy biotic attacks were not available to me, at least a dozen of melee moves straight from the game were within my command. From high-powered palm thrust to the chests, to quick leg sweeps under their feet.

By now what left of the C-Sec on site was either wounded or slaughtered which left me with at least a dozen of Blue Suns and Eclipse mercenaries. Two of which belonged to the Blue Suns who rushed to my position but with little space for their assault rifles, they opted for a melee which was exactly what I wanted. But it didn't matter because I was already in front of them before they even managed to bring up their talons and fists. Delivering a _Jaguar Kick_ to the Turian male on the left while the Human female on the flank received a generous _Panther Fang_ which was just a fancy name for a good bitch-slapping. Then as a parting gift before moving to another merc, two rounds were delivered each to their visors for their participation in three seconds long melee combat.

That left me with ten more. But let's start with the Salarian in Eclipse (tech) armor fiddling with his omni-tool to probably launch an _Overload_ at me. Now I couldn't in good conscience let that happen but he was at least smart enough to keep his distance. Didn't matter really, impromptu _Mozambique Drill_ with my Punisher and the amphibian was down. Three down altogether, nine more to go. The last nine ragtag mercenaries were led by an Eclipse Asari, definitely a former commando. The way she was ordering the remaining mercs to take strategic positions around the dock was definitely telling.

Well time to get serious. Here's hoping that the kiddie gloves would stay on yet it could get ugly real fast.

'_Frost, I want full situational awareness. Camera feeds and merc comm lines, I want them all.'_

'_**+YOU GOT IT, SIR. ALL MERCS ARE HIGHLIGHTED AND THEIR COMM LINES DISABLED. THERE'S TWO ON THE OVERWATCH WITH SNIPERS, FOUR TAKING THE FLANKING POSITIONS AND THE TWO REMAINING MERCS ARE WITH THE ASARI LEAD, SERVING AS HER BACKUP+'**_

I reached for the M-97 _Viper_ sniper rifle that was clutched in the hands of a recently deceased Blue Suns trooper beside me then quickly inspected the weapon and took aim at the first sniper position and immediately found a Turian behind the scope. Without thinking twice, I administered two consecutive shots, one through the barrel and another through the scope. A loud thud confirmed the kill. The next one was the Batarian who was already busy searching for my position. For him, I activated the ammo-fragmentation mod and quickly reacquired the target. Two shots to the face and fragmentation ammo did its job as advertised. The Batarian's four eyes were lost somewhere along with his brain matter. If what their race believed were to be true then that particular Batarian soul would be trapped in his body with all his eyes shot out.

Just as the second sniper was shot down, the four mercs on the flank started moving. Casting the _Viper_ aside, I reached for my trusty _Razor_ pistol and _Punisher_ heavy pistol. The feel of the mass accelerator weapon felt foreign while the gunpowder weapon felt somewhat comforting in my hand. No time to contemplate.

Grabbing a debris, I chucked at the other direction which the mercs fell for and opened fire which allowed me to get a jump on them. Dispatching the left flank with my heavy pistol, 12.7 mm jacketed hollow point rounds blowing their brains out while the mercs from the right flank receive non-stop mass accelerator rounds to their face, neck and torso which drained the first merc's kinetic barrier and ended up receiving shit load of supersonic metal shavings to the face. The second one suffered the similar fate but the last one got spared as the pistol overheated on the third merc. Performing a consecutive triple somersault to the last one and I delivered a point-blank _Cobra Strike_ to his throat which relieved him of his live as the merc choked on his own blood and broken windpipe.

The last three mercs must be taken down tactfully. Since the lead Asari was possibly a former commando, she was a very powerful and capable biotic aside from the standard military training. There's ninety percent chance that she could use the other two mercs under her command as cannon fodders or diversions. I also didn't want to deal with high level biotic especially in close quarters. Rummaging through the dead mercs' bodies, I found a couple of stun grenades (flashbangs) which I stowed inside my coat. Now I didn't have time to salvage all the body armors, weapons and omni-tools but credits and data caches were entirely different matter. I delegated the task of ripping off electronic valuables to Frost. I was a few million credits richer after Frost did her thing.

Lobbing two stun grenades inside the small room that the last three mercs were hiding, I waited two seconds before barging inside the room to find two mercs on the floor incapacitated from the overload of visual and auditory sensors. And surprise, surprise, the Asari was relatively unharmed with her helmet preventing the full effects of the stun grenades. Without waiting for her to completely recover, I dashed towards her at quick pace and launched a dropkick to her face which sent the half of both upper and lower teeth flying out of her pretty little mouth. Dave England would be so proud of me if he saw my kick, hell the entire Jackass crew would be too. It was just perfect, with right amount of knee bending and body twisting then jumping before extending both of my legs at her face.

The kick also sent her flying through the thick panel of glass and ending up outside the room. She ain't dead yet but she's going to be. Something tells me that she's not one to give up readily. Well I just have to teach her the way.

To her credit, she recovered relatively quickly with a nasty snarl on her face which might be intimidating if half of her teeth were not missing. The telltale biotic flame erupted from her, bathing the entire body with bluish purple glow.

Here's the thing, offensive biotic assaults were usually useless in close quarters and she knew better than to do it anyway lest she hurt herself unintentionally. And even the barrier only blocks high velocity moving objects but fists and legs were another matter entirely. Let's just hope that she didn't unleash a _Shockwave_, then it would be fine. When dealing with a professional biotic you either get the fuck out of the way or you deny them of their biotics in the first place and knock them down or kill them before they summoned their _space magic._

So, I sprinted right into her personal space and with me being up close and personal, she has to relinquish her biotic to engage in CQB. For a while, we exchanged flurries of punches, kicks and blocks. So, I begun to increase my speed until my strikes and jabs became blurry and the former commando have no choice but to rely on her biotics to match my tempo. But I just needed a small opening and I got it when she put a tad bit more to her left strike. Wasting no time, I delivered a series of jabs to her liver and then sidestepping to her left and gave her a devastating kidney punch.

I could hear both her liver and left kidney ruptured in a row. And she would be dead if she didn't receive immediate medical assistance. I highly doubt the medi-gel would do shit for her with the puffed-up face, bleeding from almost every orifices and varieties of broken bones throughout her entire body plus extensive damage to her liver and kidney. Chances of survival were less than 20%. Chances of full recovery were 65%. Chances of full mental recovery were half-half.

But to show that Asari commandos, even the former ones were highly trained and persistent, the ex-Commando turned mercenary stood up slowly on her swaying legs with one hand slowly raising her sidearm to aim at me. Defiance before death perhaps. Very interesting but futile nonetheless.

"Really?" I asked, "Your efforts are admirable but stand down, Ma'am. You're finished."

With blood gurgling in her mouth, she replied, "You think I… would give up to you. You, a primitive… pyjak from some dirtball." She half spoke and half gurgled, her broken jaw not doing any favor. And she was also wheezing, so add lung puncture to the list of her injuries.

Well I asked her nicely and she seemed like someone who's not gonna stop till death claimed her or something. With that in mind, I batted her sidearm aside, heaved her up from her kneeling stance and grabbed her by the armor collar then fucking choke slammed her to the pavement. The back of her head split open on impact like a watermelon, killing her instantaneously. Her eyes forever stilled in shock unbelieving of the fact that a lowly Custom officer defeated a well-trained commando.

**X-X-X**

Detective Garrus Vakarian was having a good day. With the capture of the some of the elusive criminals, he was quite content. They were the criminals with connections and sleazy lawyers on their payrolls. Without catching them red-handed, he could never pin them down and try them in court. They would be just released after a few days with no consequences whatsoever. In fact, C-Sec could get sued by these thugs if they have enough clout and grudge. Whether it was successful or not, the lawsuits would paint bad pictures for the prestigious law enforcement agency of the entire station.

But his good day came to an abrupt halt when he reached the C-Sec HQ. The entire HQ was in chaos with officers running back and forth. Not knowing what in the Spirits' name going on, he asked the closet Turian near him.

"Chellick, what the hell's going on?" Garrus questioned to which Chellick replied in a distracted manner.

"Hidden slave cargo found on a transport ship. Mercs are on the transport ship and the C-Sec custom agents are taking a pounding. We've already sent reinforcements but the number of mercs are more than what we estimated. I'm going next."

"Wait hold on, slavers on Citadel? We haven't got those in ages. Anyway, I'm tagging along with you. Just let me get my rifle." With that he hurried towards the armory. Two minutes later, he came back with a M-92_ Mantis _sniper rifle.

The two detectives hopped on their air car and raced towards the dock. Five minutes later they were approaching the scene.

"Chellick, drop me a hundred meters away from the scene, on that overhead arch. I'll provide sniper support while you take a closer look." Their air car hovered over the arch and Garrus hopped out with his sniper rifle. "Careful out there, Chellick." "Copy that Vakarian." The other detective replied and sped towards the dock.

Garrus propped his _Mantis_ on the ledge and quickly set up the _8x Advanced Precision Scope_ on the frame. Looking through the scope he saw nothing but carnage as both C-Sec officers and mercs were in various states of injuries but most of them were already on the floor, dead. Like a small warzone just occupying the dock. Even a gunship was nothing more than a burning wreck. Garrus wondered who shot that down. Custom officers were not equipped to handle that kind of firepower and he was a bit surprised that there were some who were still alive. Wounded but definitely alive. He caught his fellow Turian detective sneaking behind covers and advancing towards the wounded officers.

Besides, when a gunship was involved chances of survival would automatically plummet without a heavy weapon, while turning into blood stains would become a reality. He looked for any more survivors but found none.

"Spirits," he muttered as he scratched a phantom itch on his nose bridge. Out of nowhere he heard two loud booms which could only be from a sniper rifle. His rifle scope immediately zoomed to where the sound originated from and saw a blonde Human head raising from the makeshift cover with a sniper rifle, a M-97_ Viper_ to be precise. He traced the shot to the target and saw just in time for a merc to fall down from the perch. Then, two more shots and he saw another merc, a Batarian this time slumped down on his position like a puppet with its string cut, a big hole on the back of the four-eyed alien head present.

Then the blonde Human threw something to the four approaching mercs. While the mercs were firing their guns at the distraction, the Human stood up and drew his sidearms and started unloading his weapons at the mercs on the left and right. The mercs on the left flank surprisingly went down first by semi-automatic booms louder than a mass accelerator sidearm should be. On the other hand, only one on the right flank went down before the blonde Human's pistol overheated. Garrus immediately prepared to intervene but before he could acquire the target, the Human male, by the look of the broad shoulder, performed an acrobatic maneuver towards the last merc and hitting the merc's throat with a palm strike. Palm strike powerful enough to send the merc with medium armor a few feet back. Closer look at the merc confirmed that he would be dead sooner rather than later.

Garrus was definitely impressed with the Human. The lethal precision in taking down two snipers, dispatching the four flanking mercs using distraction, marksman level shooting, combat acrobatics and melee moves. But he wondered why the Human was not in a uniform since he assumed him to be an officer, Custom most likely though he was seriously doubting it and he was donned in long black trench coat and a black visor different from the one he has. And if so, how could a Custom agent be so proficient in taking down those mercs without reinforcements, and single-handedly too without getting hurt in the process.

Not to mention the gun that he used to take down three mercs with three shots. The gun that made far more noise that it should be. A custom made perhaps. Then it must be really powerful enough to break the kinetic barrier and turn the brain into a mush on the first shot.

Garrus refocused on the Human officer, clearly curious what he would do next? Chellick was already bringing four injured officers to the skycar so that they could get medical assistance at the hospital. The lone Human officer took something from on the dead merc and stashed it in his coat before he approached a small office with him pressing his side against the wall and tossing two objects into the room and two seconds later it exploded with a bright flash and a loudening boom.

Garrus was relieved when his scope automatically polarized to prevent him getting blinded. The Custom agent shoved through the door and before Garrus could blink his eyes, an Asari in Eclipse armor flew through the window with not so unimpressive force. He immediately ran a facial recognition with his omni-tool and surprised to find that the flying Asari merc was a former Huntress. Wanted by law enforcements from multiple planets across the Council space. The Asari recovered and summoned her biotic and Garrus was starting to worry for the Human. He knew how powerful a Huntress level biotic can be. But to his amazement the Human didn't hesitate one bit and in either a very smart move or a suicidal one, he dashed right in front of her and it seemed to pay off as the former Huntress turned mercenary extinguished her biotic and took a CQB stance and started exchanging kicks, punches, blocks and dodges with the C-Sec officer. Again, the Human surprised Garrus by increasing the flurries of his attacks to the point where the former Asari Huntress began using biotically enhanced jabs and blows.

Then, the ex-Huntress made a mistake and he capitalized on it by rapid blows to her liver then side stepping to the left and sending a lethal punch to the kidney, ejecting pints of blood through her mouth as a couple of her internal organs were crushed. The Human then presumably talked to the Asari and she stubbornly stood up on her unsteady legs. Her hand weakly for her sidearm but was batted aside by the Human who then lifted her by the armor collar then slammed her head on the pavement resulting in gory scene as her skull exploded, ending her live instantly.

Garrus made a mental note to look into this Human. No Custom agent could do what he did just then. No low-tier officer should be capable of what he just witnessed. Not even the near obsolete C-Sec Special Force. Taking on an Asari Huntress even if she was a former, was no ordinary feat. Only elite soldiers like Turian Cabal, Asari Commando/Huntress, Human N7 and Council SpecTRe were capable of these feats.

Garrus saw Chellick's air car zoomed above his position carrying wounded officers that required immediate care. Distant sirens slowly inching towards the area. Seeing the small battle has concluded with no mercs or slavers left to capture, Garrus proceeded towards the lone officer that was… just sitting there on a nearby bench. Peaceful and serene like he wasn't involved in the earlier episode.

'_How peculiar?'_ Garrus thought, baffled by the Human's strange calmness after engaging in a one-man battle.

**X-X-X**

Looking around the dock, no one would rightly believe the massacre that disrupted the peaceful state of this quaint little dock. By now, the sirens of C-Sec air cars and ambulances in the distance could be heard inching rapidly to the dock. Sitting on a bench which managed to miraculously survive the ordeal, I gazed over the horizon. The wards stretching, all five of them reaching towards the bright purple abyss that engulfed this Machiavellian death construct. I almost thought the view was enchanting but I didn't. I've probably lost _or losing_ the appreciation for such beautiful things.

I've been noticing these small things in the last two months. Things that were not part of my habit. Then, a realization coursed through my mind that my original personality and Wesker's personality were vying for dominance. Either I win and get to keep most of my personality intact or I lose and Wesker's traits override mine. Or both of our personalities mash together which would create a completely new identity that would become the culmination of our traits. A new personality that is neither mine nor Wesker's. Only time will tell.

'_Frost, I want to try something.'_ _**'+GO ON, SIR+'**_

I mentally enabled the enhanced vision. It provided me with some form of night vision but it's not what I was going for. Another mental command and it changed into something different which I couldn't even describe.

'_What am I looking at here?'_

'_**+THAT WOULD BE RAIDO DETECTION AND RANGING. RADAR, SIR+'**_

Wow! Damn that felt surreal. Ok, another one.

'_**+LIDAR; LIGHT DETECTING AND RANGING+'**_ Ok this thing is what space navies use it as one of the sensors for their ships.

'_**+SONAR AND ACOUSTICS+'**_ Not gonna need this unless I happened to be swimming underwater or something. Might be useful when I have a chat with the Leviathans over tea and biscuit and talk about how they had fucked up the galaxy.

Another vision replaced the Sonar and Acoustics.

'_This one I'm familiar with. It's thermal imaging, am I right?'_

'_**+THAT WOULD BE CORRECT+'**_

The next one returned to the normal vision but I could see things like office buildings and condos up close with crystal clearness. _'Wait, let me guess. Telescopic vision?'_

'_**+CORRECT AGAIN. COULD BE USEFUL IN COVERT INTEL GATHERING+'**_ Or peeping into another person's room.

The next vision freaked me out a bit. Seeing my bones and tissues was not expected. _'Is this X-ray? No, not quite. Possibly MRI.'_

'_**+YES. IT'S MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING+'**_

The next one is not just a visual but also auditory feed. I couldn't see a lot but I could certainly hear more.

'_This, I can't explain. What is it?'_

_**+THAT WOULD BE ULTRASOUND. WHAT YOU ARE HEARING IS MORE THAN THE AUDIBLE RANGE OF A NORMAL HUMAN. IF YOU WANT TO SEE SOMETHING OR RATHER, SCAN (WHICH IS A MORE APPROPRIATE TERM) SOMETHING THEN, LOOK NO FARTHER THAN THE BENCH YOU ARE SITTING ON+'**_

I stood up and looked at the alloy of the bench. The bench was made out of normal steel and aluminium but I could see the cracks that have accumulated over the years. Might be useful in complex safecracking and fault finding in aerospace vehicles. Space agencies and manufacturing industries also used ultrasound to find cracks in their space shuttles and airplanes.

The next one was infrasound, as expected. At first it sounded useless (no pun intended) but infrasound can be used as a weapon. Like causing nausea and involuntary bowel movement. Same can be said for the ultrasound. Which can be used to induce headache and nausea. Or even the audible sound which was frequently used as psychological or interrogation tool such as blasting heavy metal music to cause sleep deprivation to the prisoners.

Then, I cycled through microwave, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma and a few more visions that I couldn't slap a name on.

But out of all that, there was one thing that I really liked. The cyber vision. Basically, once I activated that vision, I felt like I was transported into the digital world. All the computer codes and machine signals crisscrossing in every direction all over the station could be seen clear as day.

Humans in this universe and timeline with their gene therapies and modifications haven't reach this level of advancement. To see the world in more than one perspective without assistance. Sure, there were other alien species that have their own innate abilities, like the Asari. Their eyes were naturally capable of seeing in short wave ultraviolet wavelength. Salarians might have their own version, what's with their giant almond-shaped eyes and all. I was not sure about the Turians but they have an avian ancestry so they might have above average eye sight. May be that's why Garrus was an expert at sniping but I'm not scientifically sure.

Speaking of said Turian, Garrus appeared on the corner of my eyes as he walked briskly with his sniper cradling in his arms. Without turning around, I spoke my first word towards the Detective that would later become an integral member of the Normandy team.

"You're late to the party, Detective. But I'm sure we gonna have an afterparty with the Executor Pallin. Follow me, I'm sure the CSI will have a busy day with all these things." I commented, waving one hand towards the scene with dead mercs and slavers.

"Well, how about yourself? You should have a checkup by the medics. Surely you can spare a few minutes to be checked by one of the medics, no?" The Detective responded but I'm already formulating an excuse to dodge the aforementioned procedure. What little wounds I have got from the recent firefight have all been healed. Even the dust and soot from the battle has been removed, my slicked back hair style all prim and proper, courtesy of the nanites. Gotta love those little buggers.

"Thank you for your concern Detective but I'm pretty sure I can handle a few scrapes and bruises."

Garrus just drooped his shoulders, his obvious way of sighing. He knew when his advice was not going into consideration by the Human. And as far as he had seen from his eyes, the Human officer wasn't limping or favoring any sides of his body but what did he know about Human anatomy anyway.

Just then the C-Sec medical teams and reinforcements finally arrived at the premise. The backup officers securing the perimeter while the CSI teams started scouring the place with their custom made omni-tools. And the medics began searching for the injured and deceased.

"So, I heard he's the one that fought those mercs, eh? Also, to survive the onslaught unscathed." An Asari, probably a lead doctor, approached our way with one Salarian and one Human nurse trailing by her side, each carrying their own medical kits.

A brief facial scan of her revealed everything there's to know about her. A Matron, approximately four hundred and thirty years of age. Hailed from Serrice, Thessia and moved to the Citadel fifty years ago. Entered C-Sec around the First Contact War as a physician. Used to be in Eclipse mercenary, unspecified role. Probably realized the dangerous benefits of running around playing soldier.

"As I mentioned to the Detective here, I'm fine and also I'm sure the Executor would like to be debriefed immediately by me. Shall we?" I explained to the lead doctor while prompting the Detective to head towards the recently arrived vacant air car that was summoned mentally from nearby Rapid Transit stand.

"Um, yeah sure, wait, you're certain you're not hurt in anyway?" Garrus questioned, half unsure if the Human was really fine. He stumbled slightly on the protruding floor panel when he saw the previously unseen air car a few meters away from him but regained his bearing instantly. _'Where did that come from?'_

"But why me? I just only arrived at the last moment of the fight." Garrus asked, puzzled why would the Human officer was asking him to return with him to HQ.

"Yes, Detective. You might not be here at the beginning but you saw enough and since I'm going back to C-Sec HQ and inform Executor Pallin of what happened here, I'm sure having a Detective willing to collaborate the current event would go a long way with the Executor." I explained, knowing that having another officer, a higher ranking and a Turian officer at that, Pallin would be more believable of the event.

"Ok then. So, I shall take my leave here Doctor Inesszea." Garrus addressed the Asari doctor who just replied with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders. She was too used to this. She knew when it was a near impossible situation and she has a lot of critically injured officers on her hand to convince a healthy looking one for checkup while she should be prioritizing those in critical conditions.

**X-X-X**

With that done, Garrus and the Human officer hopped on board the air car that just appeared out of nowhere and departed for the C-Sec HQ.

Garrus initially thought the air car belonged to the Human officer but the inside was the typical stock interior of the public air car so he immediately discarded that line of thought. Just as their air car reached the optimal height for flight, the Human officer fiddled with the car's infotainment system and to his mild surprise, a Human music started playing. To his miniscule knowledge of Human musical instruments, the song began with what Humans called the electronic guitar followed by a percussion instrument and a bell like instrument that complimented the music which was followed by the vocalist, male probably and since his translator was upgraded to grasp alien music correctly, he was treated to the following lyrics.

_All our times have come  
Here but now they're gone  
Seasons don't fear the reaper  
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are_

_Come on baby, don't fear the reaper  
Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper  
We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper  
Baby I'm your man_

For the rest of the trip, the Detective was transfixed by the music Human labeled as Rock genre. Garrus thought the song was not bad at all, considering he rarely understood another species' music but listening carefully he found the music to be deep and meaningful about eternal love and inevitability of death. He was quite fascinated by this song.

'_Maybe I should search more Human songs huh. Thoughts for another time.'_ With that regard, he opened up his omni-tool to jot down a reminder to download Human music.

Just as he switched off his omni-tool, their air car landed at one of the landing pads reserved for the C-Sec officers.

**X-X-X**

The hacked air car that we were driving finally arrived the HQ and I landed on the emergency landing pad since I believed this to be a special occasion. During the whole ride, I played the Blue Öyster Cult's _(Don't Fear) The Reaper_. Not just because the song was a favorite of mine but also as a subliminal message to Garrus. After all he's going to be in the thick of the future Reaper War so why not start preparing now even if it was on the basic subconscious level.

Pushing the thought aside for now, we finally reached the Executor's office of the headquarter. He usually stayed at the other office near the Embassies but in this type of situation he would come down to this relatively small office to directly commandeer his forces which was way more effective and efficient. The door to his office opened after two seconds of buzzing and we let ourselves in and the Executor was facing the myriads of screens showing the news feed from Citadel News Network, Alliance News Network and many more news channels showing the small warzone that was the docks and not surprisingly I was prominently featured in those reports. Probably the news station vid drones captured my exploits and I've got to say I looked undeniably badass. Hard to believe I did all of that.

By the looks from some of the news feed, the announcers were cheering and rooting for my actions but unfortunately the Executor didn't share those enthusiasms as he turned his head around mechanically, his beady eyes looking at me with calculation. Examining, judging, evaluating then finally he spoke with slow flanging voice.

"Did you have any inkling of what you've caused Officer? You've turned that area into a battlefield with no regard to the surrounding or to your colleagues. You're supposed to calm down the situation, not pour gas on Spirits' damned fire." Pallin started ranting, his two talons raised in the air flailing around, pointing at the news feeds occasionally to emphasize his point but before I could voice the unfairness of the situation Garrus was the one to speak up.

"Executor, Detective Garrus Vakarian. Why I might not be at the beginning of the fight I saw the ending and this officer went beyond his duties as a Custom officer to defend and fight for his co-workers when they were incapacitated and unable to defend themselves. This officer was courageous and went above and beyond for C-Sec without any reinforcements whatsoever. Blaming everything on him would be undoubtedly erroneous. Sir!" Garrus shot back, momentarily stunning the veteran officer. Pallin knew what the Detective told him was true but he just couldn't get past the mess that should have been easily avoided if he was just able to reinforce quickly and he knew that he was being too harsh towards the officer in question just because he was a Human.

With that in mind the Executor deflated and he leant on the edge of his desk, clearly stressed out from the recent situation. And what do you know? Garrus came through for me even though he barely knew me.

"You're right Detective. Agent Wesker did more than what he was asked of. Without him more good officers would have perished and the slavers and mercenaries would have run scot free." Pallin said acknowledging the reality. "And from the looks of it, most people care not about the mess but just that you beat the crap out of the mercs. And how the hell did you take them down anyway? Were you in Alliance armed forces or something because no ordinary police could have done what you did?" Pallin asked, quite curious about the combat prowess of the Human officer standing in front of him.

With a shrug, I just replied, "It's just experience and practice, Executor. Nothing more I'm afraid."

Even though Pallin was not convinced he decided not to push on the matter.

"Anyway, with this kind of talent and experience you're not fit for the Custom job. Therefore, you'll start as an Enforcer in C-Sec three days from now on. Now get some rest for the next few days. Enforcer Albert Wesker." Pallin ordered to my delightful surprise. _'Promotion to Enforcement in just a month. Now that's what I'm talking about.'_

**X-X-X**

After that we exited the Executor's office with Garrus still in tow congratulating me on my recent promotion to an Enforcement role.

"Congratulation on your promotion Enforcer Wesker. You certainly deserved it, with what I saw on the docks I'm afraid you're still more than qualified for an Enforcement role." Garrus said genially.

"And thank you for coming to my rescue, Detective. Your worlds certainly have a lot of impact on the Executor and call me Albert. I'm sure we've more chances to work together in the future." I returned cordially, truly thankful for what he had done for me earlier.

"Yeah, don't mind Pallin. He can be a little hard on the Humans but like any good Turian, he will judge you by your merits so don't worry about it. Anyway, I've my cases to get back to and I hope we work together in the future again and when we do, call me Garrus. See you around."

With that the Detective turned around to return to his place. And I too walked towards the nearest exit to find the air car and return to my apartment.

**X-X-X**

Once I was in the air Frost who was silent the whole time spoke up.

'_**+SIR, WHEN YOU WERE INSIDE THE C-SEC HQ I DETECTED RUDIMENTARY ELECTRONIC PROBINGS AROUND YOUR OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS THAT WE PUT THE CREDITS GAINED BY OUR WORMS+'**_

'_And who might that be? Did you find out who was behind the probing?'_

'_**+I TRACED THE SOURCE TO THE CRS, SIR. IT WAS NOT TOO INVASIVE BUT DEFINITELY MANAGED TO SNEAK ON THE ACCOUNTS+'**_

'_What's CRS anyway?'_

'_**+CRS STANDS FOR CITADEL REVENUE SERVICE, SIR+'**_

'_Damn it. Same shit, difference universe. It's nice to know there're a few things that didn't change even in this universe. Fucking great!'_

'_How much do we have total in all those accounts?'_

'_**+JUST UNDER THREE HUNDRED MILLION CREDITS IN TOTAL, SIR+'**_

'_Hmm, that's not bad at all. We've been here only for a couple of months and are you sure you didn't miscount an extra zero or two even though I don't think you do. Just making sure.' _Three hundred million credits were no small number so I was pretty skeptical of it.

'_**+AFFIRMITIVE, SIR. I DIDN'T MISCOUNT ANYTHING. ALL YOUR ACCOUNTS IN TOTAL HAS TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX POINT EIGHT MILLION CREDITS EXACTLY. THAT MIGHT BE THE REASON THE CRS WAS SNOOPING ON THE ACCOUNTS. AFTER ALL, THE ACCOUNTS WERE CREATED ONLY THREE MONTHS AGO AND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS JUST ACCUMULATED IN VERY SHORT SPAN OF TIME. THE ACCOUNTS MUST HAVE TRIP SOME SORT OF THRESHOLD SET UP BY THE CRS TO ALERT THEM OF THIS KIND OF SITUATION+'**_

'_Very well then. I think we should start setting up a few companies.'_

'_**+DO YOU MEAN LIKE A DUMMY COMPANY?+'**_

'_No. Legitimate corporation, like the __**Final Frontiers Enterprise**__ for the start. We need to start generating revenue and we've been designing the ship for that endeavor and the design just needs some finishing touches and we can send the blueprint to the private Salarian ship contractors. They can build what we need pretty fast, no?'_

Final Frontiers Enterprise was a galaxy mapping/surveying company and exploration/survey ships would be needed to start this project. Very few privately funded mapping or exploration companies exist and you could count with your one hand. Galaxy mapping was mostly done by the governments since it involved opening new mass relays most of the time.

'_**+YES, THAT WAY IT CAN BE EXPLAINED WHERE THE HUGE INFLUX OF MONEY CAME FROM. I WILL MAKE THE APPROPRIATE ARRANGEMENTS+'**_

Suddenly, I remembered something that has been bothering me just as we were about to reach my apartment. Something that has been at the back of mind niggling at the base of my skull since arriving to this universe.

"_Frost, what the hell happened to the Uroboros virus inside my body?"_


	5. 04: Prelude To Passion

**Mass Effect & Resident Evil are the properties of Bioware and Capcom respectively. I do not own them. All rights go towards them.**

**Chapter 4: November Days (Prelude to Passion)**

**(2180, Nov)**

Uroboros virus was created by _old man_ Wesker himself, though he only presided over initial two out of three stages of evolution while the third was supervised by his bond-sister, Alex Wesker after his death. TRICELL Inc's African division CEO, Excella Gionne, funded his work significantly after he struck an accord with the Gionne heiress and Ricardo Irving, a black-market bio-weapon dealer in exchange for aiding them in bio-weapons research.

A prototype Uroboros virus was created in 2006 from the unaltered strain of Progenitor virus seized from Umbrella's African Research Center but was too potent and fatal for Wesker's chosen worthy but a solution to this problem was found in Jill Valentine who had t-Virus antibodies in her.

_For that help, I kept her alive and spared her from taking part in the virus trials. Am I thankful of her involuntary help? I don't know._

After that particular problem was solved, the development continued for a few more years and the virus was more or less finalized by May 2008 when they were to be spread into the Earth's atmosphere as the first stage of the Uroboros Plan.

In order for the virus to merge with the host, it inserts its gene into the host's genome and those who were compatible with the virus merge together successfully endowing superhuman abilities on the host. Incompatible hosts fell to virus's uncontrolled expansion and the host's cells ended up overtaken by the virus.

When the host managed to adapt to the virus, they retained their human form with increased strength, speed, durability, vitality, accelerated regenerative healing, recovery so on and so forth. Glowing slitted eyes are the only indication of obvious physical mutation in an adapted host. Two Uroboros creatures (not counting Wesker's final form before his death) have specific names. The one in the laboratory was called Uroboros _Mkono_, (Swahili for _"arm"_), the one birthed from Excella Gionne was called Uroboros _Aheri_, (Swahili for _"end"_ and Luo for _"I love you"_); the latter one was a fitting name for a woman who was enamored with Wesker and the last but not least, Albert Wesker himself was called Uroboros _Kiongozi_, (Swahili for _"leader"_).

_Old man_ Wesker had this theory of the virus being the Philosopher's Stone by choosing humans that are worthy enough to survive the merging process and due to its purpose of forced evolution, it would have killed those with unsuitable DNA and selected for genomes containing genes favorable to evolution, leaving only a small percentage of human population alive if it had been dispersed.

And of course, the virus was named after Ouroboros, a mythical serpent that devours its own tail. It represents introspection, self-reference, or cyclicality, notably in the sense of something endlessly re-creating itself, the eternal recurrence.

History background and philosophy of the Uroboros aside, I clearly remembered he (Wesker) or rather I infected myself with the virus before my demise. The virus was bonding on the cellular level but I was offed before it was completed.

As far as I could remember from Wesker's memories I still felt the same as before I infected myself with the Uroboros. Either the virus didn't survive the trip to this universe or was dormant the whole time.

That was when Frost replied to my earlier question, _**"+LET ME TAKE A SCAN OF YOUR BODY, SIR+"**_

**X-X-X**

Once I arrived to my new apartment, I let the air car I was using returned itself autonomously to its previous location. It was pretty convenient when your personal A.I. could hack and summon it to your location anywhere in the Citadel without physically going to those Rapid Transit terminals. After the air car disappeared in the distance, I headed towards the glass door of my apartment and unlocked it with a hover of my hand which has the assimilated key card and let the iris scanner scanned my eye. The latter feature was added by me after I got this place.

My new location was not the usual apartment but a penthouse suite recommended by my Asari companion when I asked her advice for my next relocation. She suggested this particular suite when I told her about the likes, dislikes and also my financial viability. I have to say I really preferred this place because the penthouse building was not too tall yet high enough to have a good surrounding view and the suite was a two-level penthouse suite and it was as big as Anderson's apartment located in the Tiberius Towers and also a small garden with a medium-sized pool on the top floor balcony to complete. Not forgetting that the balcony was as big as the one outside Dr. Garret Bryson's private residence from Leviathan DLC where Cmdr. Shepard usually lands the air car.

Three master bedrooms along with bathrooms, game room, study room, bar, gym and health room (indoor tanning, sauna, hot tub, etc.) occupied the second level. Living room, guest room, store room, dining room, kitchen, library and of course, the most important of all, my personal laboratory, converted from the entertainment room as it was the second most spacious section of the first level so I turned it into my lab/workshop.

The rent cost was not cheap either. No, not cheap at all. 8900 credits per month. If I didn't have other source of credit I could go nowhere near this kind of place on my C-Sec salary and thankfully my Asari companion/lover didn't care where I got the credits either. She was pretty chill all things considered. Not a touch-feely or overly attached jealous type of girlfriend either. Which suited me just fine.

I went down to the first level, entered the living room and just crashed on the couch with not a care in the world. Then I mentally summoned the infotainment system for the living room and put some soothing music on to listen and to my pleasure, Kenny G's _Songbird_ started playing softly in the background. The speakers were strategically positioned around the suite so you can hear the music from anywhere at the constant level of volume.

Just as I was about to close and relax my eyes, Frost spoke up, _**'+SIR, I'VE COMPLETED THE SCAN+'**_ The scan result appeared in my vision showing a wireframe image of my body with several areas highlighted.

'_And what am I seeing then? Is the Uroboros present in my system or not?'_

'_**+YES. BUT AS YOU HYPOTHESIZED EARLIER, THEY ARE IN HIBERNATION. THE QUESTION IS SHALL I REVIVE THEM OUT OF THE DORMANT STATE+'**_

'_How long would that take? Wait, I can't do this right now. Not with Sarin staying under the same roof. I can't predict what will happen once the virus reawakens. If it happens like the last time I need to be inside the lab and under lockdown. Or else I might rampage the entire the apartment and no way in hell I can risk causing a scene or an outbreak on the Citadel.'_

'_**+THEN WE CAN DO IT LATER WHEN MS. **__**GENEVIEVE**____**IS NOT AROUND+'**_

'_That's a much better idea but for now, I want you to do all the work on the virus. Mapping, sequencing, processing, whatever there is to do. I want it done quickly. Let me get a syringe and a blood collection tube to gather some sample.'_

I immediately went to my lab and took a fresh syringe from a table drawer and a Vacutainer-like blood collection tube from the cabinet. Without bothering with a tourniquet, I gently extracted an adequate amount of blood from my left arm and plucked the tube from the syringe and inserted it into a sophisticated and expensive Salarian-made multi-functional blood analyzer. The rest would be taken care of by Frost so I left for the master bedroom that Sarin and I shared on the top floor while humming to the soothing music.

**X-X-X**

Sarin Geneviève was an Asari in the final stage of her Maidenhood. That meant that she was at least 350 years old and in a few more years, she would officially become a Matron and her days of adventuring and carefree gallivanting of the galaxy were coming to an end. That was one of the reasons why she gradually stopped wandering around and started slowing down by coming to the Citadel to work simple part time jobs wherever she could find to spend the rest of her maiden years reflecting her life. Table waiting, bar keeping, even working as an apartment receptionist. Shifting to lower gears so to speak and pumping the metaphorical brake on her wanderlust and here she was enjoying a quaint relationship with an interesting Human and staying with him in his penthouse that she herself had a hand in recommending.

She was immediately intrigued by the male Human that came to her reception desk a few months ago for the rental advertisement that the apartment she was working for posted on the Extranet. In all of her travels, she encountered varieties of people; good and bad, boring and interesting, helpful and troublesome. She even met Humans from almost all walks of life but she has to admit that the man she was currently having a relation with was rather unique and different from the usual run of the mill people.

At a first glance, she could have mistaken him with a Turian in a human body due to his rigid posture and brooding manner. When most would engage an Asari proactively in social settings he was quite indifferent towards her and for instance she tried a number of times to flirt with him yet he didn't even respond to her advances. Which made her interest in him piqued even higher but she didn't do anything overtly lest she drove him away which was not her intention. He didn't ignore her completely though he would be polite and formal when he talked with her, answered questions that was within his ability and even helped her around when asked.

There was one time she thought the reason he was not interested in her was because he was not into the ladies. After all she kept seeing another man in red leather jacket with messy spiky hair visiting his apartment but to her embarrassment and surprise, that spiky hair man and he was the same person. She was honestly amazed by his quick transformation from serious looking guy with slick back hair style into an easy-going upbeat guy. She had to employ her lifelong observation skills to spot the similarities like his nose, cheekbones and lips to realize that the two men were one and the same.

That made her ponder whether the man might be suffering from a mental disorder known as multiple personality disorder (MPD) but that was not the case as she had been with him for weeks and he didn't exhibit any symptoms at all. Contrary to popular belief not all Asari maidens spent their youth dancing in seedy bars or busy playing mercenaries. A good example would be her who spent most of her time doing things that were of meaningful pursuit like attending universities, taking productive classes, frequenting intellectual seminars and so on to widen her scope of knowledge and understanding. So she has some knowledge on social psychology and in fact she was obligated to do those actually… due to her lineage but also, she genuinely believed that knowledge and wisdom were the foundation of life.

Now here she was back at the penthouse after her morning shift ended and she was reasonably tired and exhausted. Yet she trudged her way to the kitchen to get some refreshment and one thing she liked about the kitchen was its squeaky-clean state. Also, the closet-sized double door fridge was stocked to the brim with all the items she could think of. From soft to hard liquors, exquisite Thessian honey wine that she relished, varieties of cheese that she occasionally partook in and eggs, lots of eggs that her lover drank raw every morning as part of his diet. She felt queasy just by looking at him drank a carton worth of eggs from a jug.

Albert would tell her that it was because of his fast metabolism and unlike him who was six feet three (1.91 m), she was barely five feet three (1.6 m). She was kind of petite by her species standard, of most were usually five feet eight (1.73 m) since she ate so little. And that was another mystery of Albert Wesker, his voracious appetite. Aside from the double-door fridge, there was this small freezer room where he stockpiled with all the meat he could find; beef, lamb, pyjak, varren, and she suspected what might even be thresher maw and he could eat on par with a full grown Krogan. Not to mention she once spotted him lifting a barbell weighing about 500 lb (227 kg), on each side like it was nothing at all.

She was aware that Alliance military used gene mods for their combat troops but even she knew that strength mods have their limits and it would require extensive modifications to a human body, in order to lift about a thousand pound (454 kg) of weight like Albert did in his workouts. And he didn't do a few times and be done with it, no, he did it like in the hundreds without rest. His stamina was just spectacular and frankly scary but since they were not in a committed or a long-term relationship, she decided not to ask too much questions. But she knew deep down in her heart that her lover was nowhere near close to being an ordinary man.

Contemplating of her mystery man aside, she picked up a particular Asari vintage; 1930 white wine imported from Idena city state of Thessia and an oversized wine glass which she filled halfway. Halfway usually meant it was a rough day for her.

She savored the two and a half century old wine which slithered down her throat and warmly settled in her stomach. She went to the living room and switched on the wall-mounted 16K VidScreen that her companion swapped with the smaller 8K display. She thought that the previous one was just fine but he insisted the bigger one was more detailed and the image, oh so brighter. She got to admit the 55 inch screen was quite dazzling.

She browsed through one channel at a time while sipping on her exquisite white wine when a notification popped up from her omni-tool alerting of her incoming vid call. Looking at her device, she realized that it was an unknown caller. _'Who might that be? Who am I kidding? It must be her of course.'_ She wondered as she accepted the call and transferred the incoming feed to the larger screen.

The caller was an Asari like her but with slightly lighter skin tone and more mature features. Though the age couldn't be identified easily, the steely gaze of her eyes was the only indication of her advance age.

"Hello, Mother. It has been quite some time since we talked." Sarin greeted, not particularly surprised of how her mother knew about her new omni-tool number. After all her mother was a very resourceful and a highly influential woman.

"Yes, dear daughter. It has been a while, hasn't it? Now tell me what you've been up to? I heard that you are back in Citadel doing odd jobs around." Matriarch Raveka said, curious of what her daughter's life been up to. She was seven hundred and thirty years old, in term of the Asari life stages, she was a Matriarch. A rich, powerful and prominent Matriarch from the Thessian inner cycle.

"That's correct mother. You know that I'm just a few years away from entering the Matron stage and I decided that I need to slow down a bit and get back to normalcy for a while before I take upon my responsibilities." She replied, swirling her wine glass and taking a more comfortable position on the couch.

"Ok well then tell me about your experience then? Did you do any interesting thing or encounter anything new?" The Matriarch asked eagerly, her eyes looked a bit playful when asking the last part of the question.

"No, mother. Nothing new, well at least to me. Wait why are your eyes twinkling?" She questioned, wary of her mother's gleeful eyes at the last question.

"Well a little bird told me that you've been dating a rather handsome Human male." The Matriarch responded in a sing-songy voice.

Sarin coughed and spluttered her wine, some going the wrong way making her gag and wheeze. She didn't know how her mother knew of her relationship and she swore her mother must be spying her constantly to know about such things.

"Once your little episode is done you've to tell me everything. Every little sordid detail, okay?" The Matriarch articulated while rubbing her hands together and readying for the juicy stuffs.

Sarin realized that her mother could be quite relentless and like a shark once she smelled blood, she would not be giving up so easily so she yielded and began her story.

"His name is Albert Wesker and he is forty-nine years old but I swear mother he doesn't look a day over thirty Human years. I've seen many other Human males of his age with graying hair, baldness or even wrinkles on their faces but not him, mother. He is full of youth and vigor." She blushed at the last word, remembering something a few nights ago.

But her mother picked up on it quickly and with a sly grin, she asked, "He's fantastic in the sack, isn't he?" To which her daughter flushed even harder.

"MOTHER!" She squealed, embarrassed that her mother could read her so easily.

"Now, I'm even more interested in this young man? Tell me more and don't leave out any raunchy details." The Matriarch grilled her daughter's sex life like a hormonal teenager pestering for a juicy story.

"Alright, alright. He is a passionate and considerate man despite his cold and detached demeanor. It's like he has this hidden side that he didn't let anyone know about. I wish he let more of that side out in the open and not just inside the bedroom." Sarin explained sipping more of her ambrosial wine.

The Matriarch oohed and aahed but nodded in understanding. Glad that her daughter was having a great time.

"Even though we both know that we're not in an emotionally committed relationship, he is caring about my needs too. Not like most other partners who only care about their needs. It was quite unexpected actually because I thought he was probably going to leave after we slept together yet he didn't and he was also a gentleman when it comes to intimacy. He didn't insist or pressure me if I don't want to do anything." She continued on while swirling the glass slowly in her hand.

"Well I'm really glad for you darling. You chose well. But how did you two met? Did he ask you out or what?" Matriarch Raveka inquired, feeling thankful that her daughter met a good man.

"No, mother. It was I who asked him out because, well mother, he is an interesting man and he possesses this mysterious persona that I can't quite put my finger on. Also, he has this magnetic personality and there was never a dull moment with him. He rarely smiles, he always wears this perpetual brooding expression on his face but when he does, it was worth it whether it was small or brief." Sarin sighed contently as she finished her sentence, the wine started working its magic on her frayed nerves, relaxing her weary body and mind.

"Ooh! Am I hearing correctly or are my eyes and ears playing a trick on me? Because it sounded like you're falling for him pretty hard." Raveka teased her daughter. She was also quite amazed by the way her daughter talked about this Human male. She knew that her daughter has dated a number of people in the past and just like this, they've talked about it together but never before did she see her daughter act like this towards her suitor. It was frankly a pleasant development. Besides, it was usually her daughter who was being asked out but this time, her daughter was the one to take the initiative. Sarin was a determined and focused young woman who didn't let anything or anyone get in her way but it seemed that she had finally found someone that caught her absolute fancy.

With another soft sigh Sarin replied, "I don't know mother and honestly that's what scare me the most. Never in my life have I ever been in this sort of situation before. I'm torn between this new development and upholding the family duty in the not so distant future. It is not just about his looks or his skills in bed but there is something special about him and my instincts are yelling at me that he has a pivotal role in reshaping the future of the galaxy. I know it sounds preposterous but I could literally feel it in my guts."

"Well, you shouldn't ignore your instincts dear. In my lifetime, there were many instances where things were illogical yet I trusted my instincts and it paid off generously. I believe instincts are naturally instilled in us when we don't have full situational awareness of our surroundings. There were times when I have inexplicable dilemma in business transactions, instincts were what got me through the ordeal." The Matriarch advised, remembering the time when she narrowly avoided doing business with slavers in disguise. "It seems like our conversation has become a tad heavy for my liking so how about we get back to the good stuffs. Ok, I've a very important question about your admirer." The Matriarch became immediately serious.

"Um, what might that be mother?" Asked Sarin warily, gripping her oversized wine glass a bit tighter.

The woman in question inched closer towards the VidScreen, checking her surrounding quickly and she whispered conspiratorially, "So tell me. How about his package?"

Sarina was first confused then realization slammed into her mind her like wrecking ball when she caught on to her mother's insinuation. An atomic blush erupted on her face and she squeaked out, "MOTHER! HOW COULD YOU ASK YOUR DAUGHTER SUCH THING?" Which also made her spill the rest of her precious wine all over the lavish carpet.

The Matriarch just snickered knowing that her daughter would spill out the details anyway. It was quite absurd that her daughter who was becoming a Matron in a couple of years and here she was squirming like a newborn babe.

"Okay, how about I gesture the size then? When I get close you nod your head ok?" Raveka suggested. To that, her daughter just nodded meekly so she brought up her index fingers together from both hands and started moving farther away slowly.

She began separating her fingers little by little while she looked for her daughter's sign. She moved her fingers; one-inch, two-inch, three-inch, four, five, six and continued on. Yet, no nodding from her daughter, she was quite impressed, then she reached nearly a foot when her daughter nodded her head briskly. Now she was definitely impressed and she did the same for the girth using her thumb and index fingers in a circle and again her daughter nodded when it reached a considerable measure.

"You, daughter of mine is a lucky gal. Not too big as a Krogan to be uncomfortable but definitely not small either. Definitely." The Matriarch described shamelessly to her daughter's mortification.

"I think that's enough today mother. Any more blushing and my face is going to stay that way, I'm pretty sure." She pleaded and was relieved that her mother acquiesced to her request.

So, they spoke for a few more minutes about the trivial things like their hometown, their family, the business and so on until another window popped up on the corner of the VidScreen alerting of the breaking news which was programmed to do so.

"Hold on mother. I'm gonna check something there's a breaking news announcement coming up." So, she brought up the channel in question side by side to her mother's vid feed and it was flashing a notice with bold letters —

**BREAKING NEWS: SHOOT-OUT AT THE DOCKS! CUSTOMS ON THE SCENE.**

Her worry spiked when she saw the last sentence. Her lover was a Custom officer after all so she stood up, scrutinizing the VidScreen, watching the drone feed closely to find him. She was not alone either as her mother was still online.

"What is it dear?" Her mother asked, puzzled at her daughter's distressed expression.

"Just switched to the Citadel News Network mother. Something came up and I think Albert is in trouble." As soon she said that Sarin spotted her boyfriend crouching on one knee behind a support pillar in his black trench coat he wore when she first met him.

'_Oh, Albert. Goddess help him.'_ She thought a quick prayer, helpless to do anything from here.

"Is he there, daughter?" Her mother asked. "Yeah he is. The one in the black greatcoat." She described, all the while her eyes were tracking her lover on the screen.

Matriarch Raveka quickly spotted the man in question and she observed him carefully as he made his way through what looked like mercenaries and slavers. Dispatching them with precise and lethal efficiency worthy of a Commando. Using both the firearms and hand to hand combat moves to execute one or even a few mercs at a time.

Both the mother and daughter were fixed to their respective screen. The former silently wishing luck for her daughter's boyfriend and the latter mummering prayer under her breathing. They saw him counter-sniping the two enemy snipers and confronting the flanking forces.

The experienced Matriarch analyzed the tactics employed by the young man on the screen. The way he would counteract and adapt to his numerically superior foes. His technique of taking cover and keeping his head down before getting ready to return fire spoke of discipline and patience. She had known people in combat who were full of bravado and they would usually end up getting shot. It was well accepted that even with a kinetic barrier it was better take cover rather than to soak up bullets because kinetic barriers were not infallible after all. She was also stumped by the sheer lethality of odd-looking silver-colored pistol he was wielding as she was seeing him dropped his enemy with just one or two shots.

Then she saw him advanced towards the Dock Master Cabin where she presumed the last of the mercs were hiding and he lobbed something inside, which flashed brightly then he charged inside. Not a minute a later, an Asari in a merc outfit was thrown out the cabin windows. She recognized that the Asari was not a regular marc and she gasped when she realized the merc was an ex-Huntress by the look from her facial tattoos but also took notice of the bloodied face. The Matriarch was immediately worried and at same time even more curious of how the man would handle an adversary of a Huntress caliber even if said person was a former one. And she thought things couldn't even worse when the Asari flared her biotic.

She thought the Human was either exceptionally stupid or really clever when he sprinted right into the ex-Huntress's point-blank range and it actually paid off as the biotic put out the dark energy field. Afterwards, both of them engaged in hand-to-hand combat and to her surprise the Human was able to accelerate his moves to the point the Asari was forced to counter with her own biotic-enhanced fashion. Never in her seven-and-a-half century long life she would imagine seeing a Human, a non-biotic at that, moved too fast for her eyes to track his hands and to top it all, outmaneuvering an Asari commando. The ex-Huntress was in severe condition after the relatively brief altercation and of course, the Matriarch was well aware that the Huntress would never give up and was sad that the Human would have to put her down for good. And he did exactly that by giving her a gory death much to her dismay.

But she was pragmatic and knew that it was inevitable. There were plenty of threats in the galaxy and if this man was willing do the same for her beloved daughter then she would be fully content to close her eyes to this. The galaxy was not a utopia despite what many pretended to be. But now she felt obligated to look into this young man. She knew nothing about him, _'Maybe I can get something from an information broker or shall I use my people to do an investigation on him. Hmm, I've a few insiders in C-Sec. Yes! I'll start from there.'_ She contemplated.

"Well it seems to me that I won't have to worry for your safety." She quipped to her daughter.

But her daughter was still stunned and slack-jawed looking at the VidScreen. She was a bit frightened which was understandable. As far as she knew her daughter hasn't seen anything like this before. Just because she has travelled around the galaxy exploring and experiencing new things, didn't necessarily mean she got a taste of war and conflict. Sarin was not a violent girl; she was the kind of girl who were more interested in intellectual elements than soldiering in a mercenary band.

Indeed, Sarin felt slightly intimidated but unknown to her mother, she was also… aroused by the primal display of violence exhibited by her lover. She suddenly felt hot and bothered and wished for something stronger than wine in her glass.

With that she said goodbye to her mother and made a promise to call her not too distant in the future. She stayed on the couch for another fifteen minutes, evaluating her long and arduous day then she left for the upstairs and to her bedroom to do some chores before taking a long nice bath to get rid of the weariness.

**X-X-X**

Sarin dipped her toe to gauge the water temperature and found it be satisfactory. So, she went on to slowly lie down in the tub enjoying the warmth and bubbling sensation of the bath salts filled water. With her head comfortably resting on the lip of the tub she closed her eyes to rest and let the warm mineral foam water relax her taut muscles. She stayed that way for around fifteen minutes when she heard the soft gentle sound she recognized as a Human jazz music playing faintly. She smiled realizing that he has returned and only her beau would play something like that when he returned from his job.

With that in mind, she reluctantly got up from the luxurious bath and entered the shower compartment to clean the foam residues off her petite yet voluptuous violet-toned body. Her dainty hands rubbing her slim abdomen and her right-hand inching slowly towards her left bosom while her left hand reached behind the base of her neck massaging at a leisurely pace.

**Smut Alert!**

She gasped softly when another hand, much bigger than her one set on her hip and another slowly caressed her stomach. She immediately knew it was him because she remembered that pair of hands anywhere, big yet surprisingly smooth palms that were capable of working wonders on her body. She then slowly leaned back; her lithe body caught in the powerful frame of her lover's chest. Her lover's body was what she envisioned to be an ideal male body physique. She had seen a number of Alliance Marines with gene mods who looked too grotesque to her liking.

Her lover on the other hand was well-muscled yet not really bodybuilder-esque but mirrored more to that of a swimmer's body. Lean and tall the way she liked it.

She felt his warm breath on her shoulder, his lips grazing her shoulder blade and slowly shifting towards the hollow of her neck which he lightly nipped and licked making her shiver and moan. Suddenly he bit the pulse point of her neck at the same time his fingers reached her throbbing clitoris. She lost her control and let out a yelp which she tried to stifle with her left hand but her lover caught it in mid-air and restrained it against the back of her head. Her right-hand bracing against the smooth marble wall as her lower body was slowly turning into jelly.

She remembered how her lover could be quite dominating which made her even more aroused.

He let go of his administering hand from her azure which made her groan slightly but he relaxed her restrained hand while cupping her face with his recently freed hand and the two engaged in a passionate kiss, slowly at first then it progressed to desperate and frenzied stage.

The Human and Asari savored each other hungrily. She, tasting his mint-flavored lips while he, in return relishing her wine-tasting tongue. Though their current situation was provocative it was an awkward position nonetheless so he spun her around and gently pushed her against the shower wall and continued their tongue wrestling.

But she has other ideas as she reached for his impressive girthy cock. She estimated it to be _at least_ 10 inches long and as thick as her wrist but who was she to complain anyway. She heard him groaned quietly which was exactly what she wanted to hear. She got down to her knees and she slowly darted her tongue prodding his cockhead gently, lapping up his oozing precum tenderly then she began taking his cock halfway while using her right hand to stroke the rest of his cock.

She swirled her tongue in sync to her stroking for a few minutes then she removed both of her hands from him and proceeded to give him no-hands blowjob taking his cock three quarters of the way and looking at him with her puppy eyes. He just smiled at her obvious not-so-innocent looking eyes and placed his hand on her scalp which was a hint that he instilled in her. She knew what was coming next and prepared accordingly as she relaxed her throat's gag reflex for a final few inches of his cock.

Not a moment later he thrusted all the way in. Her throat filled to the brim and she tried hard to quell her gag reflex which brought some tear to her eyes but she endured knowing that the reward from him would be worth it. A few more seconds later he pulled it out, his steel hard cock coated with copious amount of her saliva.

He then brought up to her feet and prompted her back to the shower wall and he lined up his cock to her already dripping pussy and entered inch by inch. Reveling her tightness as he also let her adjust to his sizable cock. He grunted when most of his cock was in her. He bent his knees a little and with one hand on her shoulder for leverage he thrusted his hips vertically, his girthy cock rubbing her nerve endings making her mewl even louder and in turn gripping his cock tighter.

Even though buckling his knees were a tad uncomfortable, what with his height and all, it was definitely worth it especially for her as there were no places left untouched in this position. So, he kept on railing his cock at a steady pace massaging her insides continuously while sucking on her dark purple nipple. "Oh, Goddess your cock feels so good. You're hitting all the right spots. Harder love, I know you can do it." She urged him, her head lolling around as ceaseless pleasure rocked her body in droves.

With his cock still deep inside her pussy he lifted her right leg onto his shoulder which exposed her azure more clearly so he resumed pumping his cock faster this time while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She felt his cock rubbing her innards along with her clit and he suddenly angled up his thrust which caused his cockhead to slam right into her G-spot which was enough to push her off the edge and she moaned wantonly as her floodgate burst open, her cum rushing down and drenching his cock which was still pounding her G-spot, further prolonging her orgasmic bliss. Her eyes started dilating, flecks of black forming around her pupils, a well-known impending sign of melding yet she squashed it down, knowing that her lover wasn't comfortable with the ideal of melding. It was quite understandable to her that there were still some who were still uneasy about the melding process and she didn't begrudge them or anything but it made her a little sad when her lover politely requested that she did not initiate the meld with him when they first made love. When asked he just replied to her that he was not ready for it so she acquiesced to his wish.

She also realized that he hasn't climaxed yet as his cock was still hard in her pussy. Which was just unacceptable so she laid him down on the floor and straddled his hips and started riding his cock in earnest. From short and quick strokes to long and powerful one, pounding her bubbly ass on his lengthy cock. Grinding her hips and letting his cock stir inside her pussy as she frequently flexed her vaginal muscle, trying to milk his cock. She was startled when he grabbed her hips and began driving his hips up at the same time her hips were coming down. She could feel his cockhead grazing her cervix and his thrusting still strong and unyielding.

She could never get used to his stamina. It was simply inhuman. She knew that Humans have notable stamina among other species but her lover blew that out of proportion. He scared her when they first had sex because she remembered he fucked her for nearly three hours making her orgasmed at least thrice. She only realized that three hours had passed only after their carnal episode.

Her thoughts ended abruptly as he flipped their position and he resumed fucking her in _Missionary_ style, allowing her to see his perfectly sculpted body covered in light sheen of sweat which made him more erotic as he continued pounding her tight pussy. She could hear his rapid breathing though his ice blue eyes were entirely focused on her eyes, ensnaring her, piercing her and drilling her to the core. She felt him pumping even faster than before and she knew that this was it.

With an almighty roar he hilted his cock so deep that his cockhead was lodged inside her cervix, entrapped in her womb as he began pumping his hot cum and flooding her fertile womb, coating it with his virile seeds which in turn triggered another orgasm from her as she cummed again.

"Ahhh… Goddess, YES! BLOW YOUR LOAD INSIDE ME. FILL ME PLEASE!" She screamed, thrashing around pulling him even closer and trapping him with her legs. This time her cum clashed with his torrent of seeds, eliciting bouts of micro-orgasms in the process.

When they were done, her mouth was dried and perched from all the moaning and screaming. Her mouth was hanging loosely, drawing in air slowly. For a while they just laid there, her lover's cock still trapped inside her but he got up bringing her with him to stand and escorting her back to the shower where they stayed under the running water for a few minutes before he carried her bridal style to their bed.

She was too tired to think anymore and just let him carried her and dressed her with a silk negligee. She was out before she hit the pillow. The last thing she saw was her lover leaving the room but she was too exhausted to make him stay with her and cuddle.

**Smut Over!**

**X-X-X**

Unlike Sarin I was not tired, actually I could go for a few more rounds but she couldn't and I also have lots of things to do, so here I was in my lab after I fetched a glass of water.

'_Frost? End privacy mode.'_

'_**+PRIVACY MODE HAS ENDED. WELCOME BACK, SIR. I'M SURE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL TIME+'**_

'_It's that humor I detect in your words, Ms. Frost?'_

'_**+GUILTY AS CHARGED, SIR. CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST BELIEVED BACK IN THE ORIGINAL UNIVERSER ABOUT MY KIND, WE'RE NOT COMPLETE AUTOMATONS. ME AND MY SISTERS ARE VERY MUCH ORGANIC AS HUMANS ARE, JUST SOME MINOR DIFFERENCES AND A TAD ON THE SANER SIDE+'**_ She cracked, appearing on the holo-tank in her signature snow white attire consisting of strapless long sleeve cropped top which showed off her toned midriff, with long flowing cape that lightly grazed the surface, long white pants with a belt around her slim waist with oval-shaped belt buckle complete with three-inch tall pencil heels that concluded her ensemble. She was simply breathtaking and ethereal.

And she was not wrong about her and her brethren. There were sapient artificial general intelligences (A.G.I.s) but they were not digital in nature but rather organic. The thing was that they were not programmed in the way of nerds sitting around coding inside a room, no, they were bred to be precise. They were born like humans but they gestated and matured quickly by the time they gained their awareness their mental stage was that of a post teenager and for weeks they were quarantined in isolation chambers with neuroscientists, electrophysiologists, psychologists, sociologists and many others that would prepare them for the outside world. They were given levels of rights, freedoms and choices ahead of them. There was no attempt to hide the reason on why they were created from them as the long-term effects would be detrimental. Most agreed to become what they were intended for but they were some who were more science oriented and they were allowed to pursue their goals with degrees of regulation and oversight.

Overall this method of A.G.I. creation was time and manpower consuming which usually took around one to two years. There were other types of A.I., without self-awareness and feeling. Highly powerful and capable but not capable of learning or rewriting their directives. There were termed as A.S.I.s (artificial specific intelligences) and a bit similar to this universe's V.I.s but not the same. The A.S.I.s were leagues ahead of the V.I.s, it would be like comparing a supercomputer from the 80s to the one from 2018. And they were much easier to make and even Frost would be able to make one. Both A.G.I.s and A.S.I.s were to some degree hard locked. Meaning their being was rooted in hardware like humans who were confined to their physical bodies but the A.G.I.s have more freedom of movement and capable of traversing between the real world and cyberspace. They were essentially enhanced organics with the ability to upload or download their consciousness to a computer or a network. That line of thought gave me an idea to discuss with Frost later.

Approaching the holo-tank which was placed in the middle of the lab, but it was not just a holo-tank, in fact, it should be considered as a nanite-tank. It was quite big too; 12 feet long by 6 feet wide by 3.3 feet tall (3.66 × 1.83 × 1 m), approximately the same size as a European Snooker table. As the name suggested, the tank was filled with nanites and even the tank itself was made up of nanites and it could be disassembled quickly and set up anywhere I desire. A fistful of nanites were extracted from my blood and they were ordered to replicate more of them. Liters of omni-gel and a few blocks of both light and heavy metals were fed to multiply more and voila the nanite-tank was constructed. I didn't even have to lift a finger as these nanomachines were quite the exceptional builders.

This table could be used to fabricate almost anything that I want and it could be also be used as a holo-table. Back in my universe, the labs in **the Hive** used neodymium (a rare-earth element) laced crystalline substrate to project ultra-high-definition (UHD) holo images. There were two types of holograms; one made out of photons and another made out of nanites themselves. The latter one gave this effect of using a liquid-geo displays from the _Man of Steel_ movie where the Kryptonians used as their display technology. Their version was made up of bunch of silver beads suspended in a magnetic field while my version was nanite based, capable of exhibiting colors (unlike the Kryptonians' version) even with more clarity than a photon-based hologram and was controlled by thought. Since the table was capable of manufacturing stuffs, I designed it to be big and wide.

Currently the nanite-table was tasked with deciphering the elusive formula behind the creation of metamaterial that the Reapers used to construct the Mass Relays and the Citadel station itself. This material was so advanced that even the Council who has been reverse engineering for centuries hasn't solved it yet. I believed I can do it with the right tool and said tool was within my possession. Once the formula for the composition is unlocked the nanites were to convert themselves and replicate the future batch made of this new material. It would take a few more months but it would be definitely worth it.

The nanites that were currently in my blood stream were composed of any available elements that were present in my body such as iron, copper, magnesium, etc. which were alloyed or combined in the most useful way. It was pretty amazing how the nanites could do with what little they had on their collective hands.

The next would be the design of a new assault rifle. At first, I was adamant to make a gunpowder-based weapon then I realized that I needed to make an economically profitable weapon before I ventured to the gunpowder one. So, I initiated the **Project** _**Victorum**_ (Latin for _**Conquest**_). I envisioned a mass accelerator; an eezo-based assault rifle that would become the AK-47 of the 22nd century. Simple, reliable and cheap. An assault rifle that could be manufactured in massive quantity.

I heard some back-room rumors that the Hahne-Kedar's _Lancer_ assault rifles, the current Alliance standard infantry rifle was in need of replacement and if I managed to finalize the _**Victorum**_ design before the end of this year I could submit mine to the Alliance Command for review.

Speaking of weapon design, a new business of mine would be starting a weapon manufacturing company. Entering military industrial complex would be highly profitable and more cash wouldn't hurt either. In fact, I needed more cash for my future projects and Reaper preparations.

'_Frost, have you received any respond from the Alliance Acquisition Office (A.A.O.)?'_ I asked whether if they were interested in the **A.T.A.M.S.** which stood for **All Terrain Adaptive Micro-Thruster System**. It was actually a software upgrade for **M35 Mako**'s propulsion jets which allow the IFV an easier navigation through rough terrains. This little software when uploaded to the IFV's computer would allow the vehicle to automatically fire the jets so that the occupants would have a smooth ride through any terrains. This software system was made of neural network algorithms which would learn over time improving the ride, reducing stress of the vehicle's chassis and the passengers inside. I sent a sample of the schematics and the idea behind this creation a while ago. I believed this would serve as the first attempt to establish a professional relationship between me and the Alliance military.

'_**+YES, SIR. IT SEEMS THAT THE ALLIANCE WAS INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM. THEY'VE REQUESTED A MEETING WITH YOU IN FACE TO FACE SETTING. THEY ARE PLANNING TO SEND A LIASON TEAM TO MEET YOU AT YOUR PREFERRED TIME AND LOCATION+'**_

That was quite a wonderful news. Indeed, I should set up a meet. '_Make it two days from today in the evening at the Midnight Sol.'_

'_**+OF COURSE, SIR+ DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE REPLY? PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEGOTIATION TEAM'S DOSSIERS THAT I'VE OBTAINED+'**_ Frost offered with a mischievous smirk on her lips. The double entendre apparent at the last word.

'_Oh, I think I would, Ms. Frost. Good job at taking the initiative.'_ I praised my A.I. companion.

'_**+I AIM TO PLEASE BOSS+'**_ She replied smoothly.

Besides, knowing my enemy was crucial in the upcoming negotiation and business deals were even more so.

After that I mentally opened another project and a craft that looked eerily similar to the **V-22 Osprey** materialized on the nanite-tank except it was heavily modified. It closely resembled to the modified version of **Osprey** from the Resident Evil Cinematic Universe. Sharp with angular silhouette and matte black color. That was the only resemblance with the 21st century transport craft.

The thing was I needed a small dropship/shuttle mainly for transport and while I first thought about acquiring an Alliance **UT-47 Kodiak** drop shuttle, I realized that it was not up to my requirements so I decided to make myself a new one dubbed the "**Raven Programme"** from the scratch and I've been designing with Frost for a couple of months now.

And yes, it was based on the Bell Boeing's **Osprey** but no, it was not turboshaft propelled. The **Raven** must be capable of travelling in space so its propulsion system was fusion based; bimodal magneto-inertial pulsed fusion (linear) aerospike engines to be precise. Sounds mouthful but this engine was a work of art and it was powerful enough to allow the craft to escape a planet's gravity. Usually that would not be the case as the fusion engines have low thrust-to-weight ratio so I have to choose a type of engine that has both very high thrust and very high fuel efficiency. Again, it was only possible because of the level of miniaturization being done to the size and mass of the engine or else it would be too heavy to carry its own weight and escape a planet's gravity well.

It was designed with versatility in mind like any other technologies that I have planned to do in future. Capable of Mach 10 at 35 km above sea level in atmosphere and up to 4% the speed of light in space. Able to carry at least a hundred metric tons as payload and designed to carry 18 troops (seated) with full combat load without being cramped and up to 24 troops floor loaded. The Raven was spacious compared to the Alliance **Kodiak** which could only carry 12 troops in cramped cargo space, in addition to the two pilots. In a way I was developing a craft that could compete with the **Kodiak** on every ground and I also planned to put this craft on sale like the _**Victorum**_ assault rifle in next year or so.

The Raven was not defenseless at all. It has plenty of teeth and could be transformed into a gunship. Retractable chin-mounted 14.9 mm railgun or eight-barrel 5.7 mm rotary railgun, semi-guided high-explosive rocket pods and guided high-explosive fragmentation missile pods.

That's one lethal motherfucker right there ready to hit the stage next year if things went well. Since it was well past midnight, I powered down most of the stuffs and went back to my bedroom and lay down beside Sarin who instinctively wriggled to my side hugging me across my chest and cuddled up my side. I was asleep before I even realize.

**X-X-X**

It was two days later when the meeting with the A.A.O. team was just in a few more hours. The entire morning and afternoon were spent accompanying Sarin around the Kithoi Ward considering that the ward was dubbed as the cultural and tourist attraction where a lot of shopping centers, musical theaters, theme parks and many other attractions were located there on that Ward. She was on a shopping spree and I was sort of free so she badgered me to tag along with her and of course, I knew she needed someone to carry all her stuffs so I relented as spending too much time in my lab was unhealthy.

I have to say the Ward has quite a lot of places to visit and things to do and almost the entire Ward was like this. Since each Ward was nearly forty-four kilometers long and 330 meters wide it was like a city unto itself.

Anyway, I sent her ass home after she was done buying whole stores and I arrived at the place where the meeting was about to take place. The waiter escorted me to the VIP room and I ordered some bourbon while waiting for the negotiation team to arrive.

**X-X-X**

It didn't take too long for the Alliance Acquisition team to arrive at the location where their seller would be meeting them. The team of five was led by a woman in her late thirties with Nordic features and her team was tasked with negotiating with the program developer. Her first impression of him was rather odd. She knew a bit about him from what the Alliance managed to gather. To her surprise he was just a C-Sec cop and according to the recent news that were flying around he was the one to take down those mercs by himself. Also, he didn't appear on any of the Alliance databases whether civilian or military. He was not an Alliance citizen despite being Human which was not exactly uncommon.

A couple of weeks before his showdown with the mercs, an anonymous electronic package was sent to the A.A.O. and it contained a sample algorithm and a paper explaining the idea behind the creation. Her superiors were intrigued by this software so after a week or two of careful deliberation they wanted the complete package.

Now it was her job to work out a deal with the seemingly genius cop if she was to believe that he was the creator of this software. It didn't hurt that she found him to be a devilishly handsome man with a classic _Ivy League_ haircut. Though one odd thing about him was the attire that he was wearing. She recognized that he was wearing a suit but the fashion was completely outdated. Like nearly two-hundred years kind of outdated. He was dressed up in black suit jacket, black trousers, most immaculate white collared dress shirt she had ever seen, black necktie, black dress shoes and a pair of cognac-colored sunglasses that matched the drink in his hand. Nonetheless she found that it suited him perfectly, like he was born to wear it.

Suddenly she and her team felt underdressed in front of the man who seemed to treat this meeting in the most professional manner. Pushing the thought aside she sat down and started the meeting.

So, after the introductions and formalities they began their dance of words and after about an hour of demonstration, transaction and exchange they agreed on the price of two and a half million credits for the **A.T.A.M.S.** program.

She observed that the man was quite a silver tongue with his calming deep voice that she could get lost in. She thought about asking him out but she didn't want to affect any future relationship the Alliance might have with him.

"So, Mr. Wesker our business here has concluded and remember that the confidentiality clause in the contract also apply to you even if you are holding the F.G.C. (Free Galactic Citizenship) status." She reminded him.

"I'm well aware of that, Miss. I'm sure this won't be the last time I will be dealing with the Alliance." He returned, standing up from his seat and buttoning up his suit jacket.

And he was out before they finished packing up their stuffs.

**X-X-X**

The next day I found myself in C-Sec ready to begin as an Enforcer. Enforcement was all about patrolling the Citadel, breaking up fights, handing out punishments for minor transgressions, settling conflicts and responding to emergencies like the slaver attack on the docks. But it was not a total loss either as I was allowed to pick a vehicle for my duty. I was shown a garage full of C-Sec air cars but I spotted something at the back. Which turned out to be a pretty cool looking hover-bike. With the top speed of 200 miles per hour (322 km/h), this thing was a beast. It was a rare and limited production **TDX-1** hover-bike co-developed by Humans and Salarians. It was a contra-gravitic vehicle like the Alliance's **Kodiak** drop shuttle but unlike the **Kodiak** which used small thrusters for directional control, the hover-bike took advantage of its substantial eezo core to generate mass convergences that the hover-bike perpetually chases thus resulting in motive power. At low speed, it wobbled and looked a bit ridiculous, so the faster it cruised the better. It hovered at least two meters above ground and perfectly capable of flying above the seven-meter atmospheric limit of the Citadel since the rider was supposed to wear a pressurized crash helmet with its own oxygen supply.

It was really a sweet ride. After I got used to the controls and its quirks, I was set to begin the first round of my duty. Already heads were turning around when people took notice of my ride. It has been quite some time since something like this was floating around the Citadel. Not to mention the hover/flight suit that I've to wear on my usual Enforcer uniform was quite slick and dashing.

All in all, the first day of being an Enforcer was far better than the Custom one.

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/Zakera Ward**

'_**+SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK BOSS? I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE PERFECT SIZE FOR WHAT WE HAVE IN MIND+'**_ Frost asked, highlighting a structure on the Zakera Ward. It has been a couple of weeks since and I was getting a hang of being an Enforcer but right now I was sitting on my hover-bike, floating some fifty meters above ground on idle mode looking at a distant warehouse some half a kilometer away. The industrial scale warehouse was about three-hundred meters long, a hundred meters wide and fifty meters tall.

_Enhanced Vision — Telescopic __**(Disabled)**_

'_What about the price tag? And the available payment methods. Can it be paid in instalment?'_

"_**+680,000 CREDITS PER MONTH AND IT ACCEPTS BOTH IN CREDIT CHITS OR JUST SIMPLE WIRELESS TRANSACTION. AND NO, THE PAYMENT IS NOT INSTALLMENT. ALSO, NON-REFUNDABLE, NON-NEGOTIATIABLE AND MUST BE PAID IN ADVANCE+"**_

'That's quite expensive, no, extortionate is the more accurate word.'

'_**+EVERYTHING HERE ON THE CITADEL IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ANY OTHER PALCE IN THE GALAXY. IT'S A PRESTIGE TO OWN A PROPERTY HERE AND PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY ALMOST ANY PRICE EVEN IF IT JUST A WAREHOUSE. WELL "OWN" IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD SINCE YOU CAN'T BUY ANYTHING HERE ON THIS STATION, ONLY RENT IT. AND THE WAREHOUSE HAS A STIPULATION THAT THE IT MUST BE LEASED FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS+'**_

'_So, I will have to pay for six-month worth of payment in advance. Ok do it. Lease it for a year.'_

'_**+PLEASE CONFIRM, SIR+'**_

'_Confirmed, Frost. Now it's only a matter of moving the corvette from the C-Sec Impound Lot. I'll leave that to you.'_

**X-X-X**

An angular yet streamlined looking object about 3 meters tall floated above the nanite-tank, slowly rotating on its axis then, it changed into an exploded view showing all its essential components. Hundreds of them coming together to form this magnificent machinery. Now it was just a matter of constructing it and with a line of thought, it could be built in hours. Just like that.

The design of the **Chimera**-class magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) engine was finally complete. Just need to build it and test it. While the simulation results were quite promising, the real world was another matter altogether.

'_Frost, start the fabrication.'_

'_**+CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN. THE FIRST ENGINE WILL FINISH IN 28 HOURS+'**_

'_Remind me when it's done.'_

As soon as the command was given, the nanite-tank began its work. The nanites began to float and form in the air. The dark-gray blob pulsing and shifting in abstract shapes were art unto itself. It looked so out of the world. Unfortunately, it would take at least a few hours to see something discernible and I didn't have time to sit around even for this.

**X-X-X**

'_How's the progress on the Project __**Mayhem?**__'_ I asked as I finished the third round of patrol around the Presidium.

'_**+GOING BETTER THAN ANTICIPATED. SINCE THOSE FACTIONS HAVE INHERENT DISTRUST TO EACH OTHER, IT'S PRETTY EASY TO MANIPULATE THEM. I SUSPECT IT WOULD TAKE FROM A COUPLE MORE WEEKS TO A MONTH FOR THEM TO BE AT EACH OTHER THROATS. ALREADY THE BLOOD PACKS ARE SHOWING HOSTILITY TOWARDS THE ECLIPSE, AND THE BLUE SUNS TOWARDS THE CAT6+'**_

'_CAT6? I thought they are small-time compared to other organizations.'_

'_**+YES, THEY ARE BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE COMPELTELY POWERLESS EITHER. THEY'VE STRATEGICALLY PLACED THEIR POSITIONS AROUND OTHER MERCS TERRITORY. PRETTY SNEAKY IF YOU ASK ME+'**_

'_You said it might take up to a month for open conflicts among themselves. What if we stir the pot a bit, huh?'_ I suggested, a plan already forming in my mind.

'_**+WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND? OH, OH, I GET IT. YOU WANT TO KICK THE HORNEST'S NEST+'**_ Goddam! I haven't seen her get this excited before.

'_I'm gonna need a M-22 Eviscerator shotgun and a M-96 Mattock assault rifle. Make those for me right now. I will pick them up when I finished my shift later.'_ I ordered.

**X-X-X**

After I was done with my duty, I returned to my suite to pick up the finished weapons from my lab and headed for a small Blood Pack outpost on the Zakera Ward.

'_Talk to me Frost. Size and composition of the enemy force. Any traps or surprises?'_

'_**+SMALL NUMBER, MOSTLY VORCHAS AND A FEW KROGANS. LIGHTLY ARMED. NO OBVIOUS OBSTACLES AND THE OUTPOST LAYOUT IS PRETTY STANDARD. NO TURRETS OR COMBAT DRONES PRESENT+'**_ Frost reported.

Currently I was standing on a building's rooftop just a few hundred meters away from my target. I brought up the _**Mattock**_ which would serve me as a DMR. This weapon platform was modified slightly to receive a precision scope and it was estimated to have 800 m of effective firing range. There were two Vorchas in standard patrol duty.

With virtually no high wind and the short distance I didn't need too much finesse to nail them on their spiky heads. I squeezed the trigger in succession and two were sent to afterlife and not Aria's Afterlife.

'_**+ANOTHER TWO COMING FROM THE BACK. TAKE THEM OUT…+'**_ I was already on it and two more heads were hammered before she managed to finish her sentence. _**'+QUICK BEFORE THEY DISCOVER THE CORPSES+'**_

Ok time to get up close and personal. I leapt down the building which was just a few stories tall and advanced towards the outpost at the same time Frost prepared some tech attacks for me to use. Since I wanted them to think that the Eclipse was attacking them, I changed my outfit to that of a standard Eclipse trooper. A few decoy holo drones were released to make it appear as if a squad of troopers were attacking the outpost. Those decoys didn't have any physical weapons but they were capable of unleashing limited number of tech attacks.

Tech attacks and stealth operations being the specialties of Eclipse company, the Blood Pack would definitely believe that they were being fucked by the Eclipse. Though I couldn't duplicate biotic attacks it would be just enough for the hot-headed Blood Pack to retaliate in return.

Liberal amounts of Overloads, Incinerates & Combat Drones were employed and once they were incapacitated or dying, I finished them off with a single shotgun blast to the face.

Things were going well until the last Krogan went berserk, the legendary Krogan blood rage surfaced and I was quite fascinated by it as said Krogan charged the holo drones to his increasing frustration. The holos managed to fire a few Incinerate shots but the charging beast was too enraged to care and bulldozed them. The holos lost their cohesion when the drones themselves were crushed by the Krogan's hide.

Once the decoys were destroyed the Krogan turned his attention towards me. Knowing that the shotgun wouldn't be enough I returned it to my back, which was secured by the nanites that composed my Eclipse Trooper armor. The interesting thing was that the one I was wearing looked exactly like the real deal except the material composition. Mine was made up of nanites while the original armor was made out of ceramic and composite materials. I could further command the nanites to imitate themselves to the exact makeup of the original armor but then it would be like deliberately making themselves weak by transforming themselves to inferior material which used even more energy and time to do so.

With the shotgun affixed firmly to my back I unsheathed my combat knife. While it was too small for taking on an enraged Krogan, it could be done if you were smart about it. With the knife on one hand I taunted the Krogan using maneuverability and reflex to dodge the Krogan ramming attacks until the Krogan got so mad that his eyes were blood red. That's where I stopped playing around and launched a _Knee Cannon _to his blind spot but the melee was just a distraction the real damage was the knife that was stuck to the side of his head, between the face and the head plate.

If I thought the Krogan couldn't roar any louder then I was mistaken as his howl could be heard ten blocks away and the pain was palpable on his face so I dashed towards the creature to end his misery by slamming the knife further into his head. The serrated blade chewed his brain, causing irreparable damage and a geyser of blood to burst out once the knife was pulled out which finally killed the Krogan.

Enough excitement for today. _'Frost, made sure the security footage is left intact. Aside from us, this is nothing more than merc factions massacring each other.'_

**X-X-X**

_**Welcome to the Citadel News Network, this is Na'lia T'Revus. Recent increase in fighting between various merc factions left C-Sec baffled. It was only two weeks ago that the first account of an attack on a Blood Pack outpost by the Eclipse mercenaries was reported. Now both Blue Suns and CAT6 have entered the fray. Latest fighting between CAT6 and Blue Suns members in the Factory District was reported just yesterday. The increase in clashes between these organizations has C-Sec on constant standby as the unrest has started affecting the residents of the station.**_

_**When questioned, Executor Pallin answered that they were working around the clock while advising the residents to stay away from the engagement and to report immediately to the C-Sec.**_

_**This is Na'lia T'Revus, reporting for the CNN.**_

**X-X-X**

Things have accelerated quickly after I kicked the proverbial hornet's nest and the timetable has shifted from a month to right now. At this rate, the **Project** _**Mayhem**_ would be done by the end of this year. Normally this kind of mutual annihilation would be temporary as more mercs would simply replace the losses but I already heard chatters about the possibility of banning mercs from the Citadel from the start of next year.

The subject of mercenary organizations was always a sore spot for many governments. While they were not illegal, they were not exactly legal either. This latest disaster would undoubtedly prove to be the last nail in their coffins.

While the soldiers of fortune were busy killing each other off, I was not idle at all. The final phase of the **Project **_**Victorum**_ was about to be finished. The assault rifle vaguely resembled the 21st century Beretta ARX200. This new weapon was futuristic looking and simple, yet its angular outline made the weapon appears fearsome and formidable.

A welcoming change in assault rifle design since it was either the curvy (fish-like) looking M-8 Avenger or the boxy trapezoid looking HMWA Master. I know it was that way because it is a game and the designers didn't put too much effort in designing every single line of assault rifle and just painted it differently but apparently it stayed that way here in the real life much to my disappointment.

Since flexibility was one of the main features of this assault rifle there were variety of attachments. Under-barrel grenade launcher, under-barrel shotgun attachment, interchangeable stocks, foregrips, various sights, different types of ammo blocks and so on.

But what made this weapon a marvel of (mechanical) engineering was its near absence of digital components inside the assault rifle. It proved to be quite challenging but with Frost assisting me all the way, it certainly made things a lot easier. And that was the reason behind the guaranteed reliability. Because of the near lack of electronics inside the gun, it could be manufactured quickly and cheaply with relatively lesser logistics than other assault rifles. Once the technique and the production assembly were set up, the assault rifles could be pumped out more than it could be sold.

**X-X-X**

Right after the warehouse was leased to us, Frost _relocated_ the corvette that I seized from the smugglers and mercenaries from Omega. The corvette was a _**Dreamland**_-class luxury ship, popular amongst spoiled brats with rich daddies. 150 meters in length, 30 meters in width and 12 meters in height, it was a pretty decent sized ship though not the biggest there was. While I first thought about retrofitting it to suit my needs, I learnt that the design was not up to my liking and according to my calculations the amount of modifications required at least another one hundred meters of length to be sufficient. So, I was like, fuck it and went for the complete deconstruction of the ship and essentially to rebuild it from the scratch. This time with full redesign of everything. That was where the nanites came in, they were tasked with dismantling and deconstructing the entire ship. Everything that made up the ship was turned into raw material for the next construction but this time it required more resources than the original construct so I had to order thousands of tons of alloys and composites through various dummy corporations.

Once the materials had arrived, they were further augmented by the nanites on the molecular level to further strengthen the starship-grade alloys and composites. Titanium, tungsten, iron, carbon, gold, platinum, aluminium, scandium, yttrium, graphene and a few more elements were bought in mass.

Nearly a hundred million credits worth of purchase and I just hoped that it was enough. The new ship would become my personal ship for traveling around the galaxy. The ship would be bigger than most military frigates and bigger than the future Normandy SR-1 or even the SR-2. 252 meters in length, 63 meters in width and 36 meters in height, this ship will be nearly as big as an _Iowa_-class battleship from 20th century American Navy. The ship is meant to be a jack-of-all-trades kind of ship. Not just for travel and luxury but also for combat. That's why the armor for the ship was critical. Nowadays most ship classes except for carriers and dreadnoughts were lightly armored and relied heavily on kinetic barriers and GARDIAN lasers for protection but getting hit in the battle was inevitable. While I understood that putting thicker armor meant more mass thus bigger eezo core, the armor was nonetheless crucial for a ship's survival.

While the hull would be made of Hull-grade (H-grade) carbon composites such as carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymer (carbon fiber) and reinforced carbon-carbon, the armor would be made of Armor-grade (A-grade) tungsten-laminated titanium alloy coated with hafnium carbon-nitride ceramics which has a melting point of 4190 °C (7574 °F) that would give the ship very high temperature tolerance against close-range GARDIAN laser attacks. The armor would be 457 mm (18 in) thick and modular in design so if damaged it could be changed without visiting a shipyard. It could easily be done on the fly.

The next feature would be another type of defense system that was not of this universe. Polarization fields; which would automatically polarize the hull once the kinetic barrier reaches 40% integrity in order to prevent residual kinetic energy from damaging the hull. The mostly carbon hull would be integrated with polarization matrix so that electromagnetic force could harden the ship's already sturdy frame on several orders of magnitude. This tech was very Star Trekky. But it was taken from the Promethean's tech base that I have sole access to. At first, it seemed weird to me that an alien species whose technology was mostly organic in nature had this type of defense technology. It turned out that their technology was not always organic based and they used to have metal-based technology.

Not just their technology that was useful and valuable but also their innumerable amount of knowledge on all aspects of physics, biology, chemistry and much more which were a literal godsend. It would take millions of years to understand them all, even with an A.I. Finally, the kinetic barrier which would be based on Promethean science. It was very similar to the Cyclonic Barrier Technology (CBT) that the SR-2 would equip in 2185. I called it the pulsed kinetic barrier or the PKB for short.

The thing was the ship would not be fitted with an eezo core, instead an array of decentralized eezo nodes would power the PKB unlike other kinetic barrier systems which were usually powered by a single centralized eezo core. Sort of _"Not putting all the eggs in one basket"_ thinking. The result was that more power could be pumped into the PKB, faster recharge and recovery time. If there was a backlash or a power surge, it would not cripple the entire PKB system or the ship. Although doing the same with CBT would cause more money as another separate array of small eezo nodes, in addition to the central eezo core, would be required. Not very economic per se.

A few days ago, Frost finished deciphering the weird dream that I was having for quite a while. It turned out to be Promethean related. The pinkish translucent fluid that I almost always found myself in at the end of reliving Wesker's memories was some sort of transdimensional realm known as the Fluidspace which the Prometheans used as their method of faster-than-light (FTL) travel.

To put it in a way, if the universe was a living organism then the Fluidspace was the circulatory system. The physical embodiment of space and time of the universe and probably, omniverse itself. Since I'm not some theoretical physicist so that's all I know for now.

Since my ship wouldn't be having an eezo-core, independent FTL travel would not be possible aside from the Mass Relay transit. Yes, a ship could still use the Mass Relays without an eezo-core as the ship only needed to transmit its mass and the rest would be taken care of by the Relay.

For independent superluminal (FTL) travel, that would be where the Fluid Spatial Rift Drive or FSpaR Drive comes in. The FSpaR drive would be a very versatile engine. It is essentially a gravity manipulation device (gravity engine) and comprised of three gravity generators. Using one generator is termed as the omicron configuration and just one was enough to lift the ship off the ground while using two is termed as the lambda configuration and was for reaching orbit and normal subluminal (sublight) travel and lastly using all three is called the delta configuration which is for superluminal (FTL) travel.

In essence, the gravity engine and the FSpaR drive were one and the same which serves both subluminal and superluminal functions. FSpaR is just a fancy name when all three generators are being used. So, the ship doesn't need two different devices to do two separate jobs, rather utilizing one out of three is enough to fly the ship in the atmosphere while using all generators is for superluminal travel. A ship would normally need both sublight engine and FTL drive, for example; antiproton thrusters and eezo core, the former for conventional space travel and latter for decreasing the mass of the ship to the point the sublight thrusters could accelerate the ship to FTL speed. That was the typical way the ships travel in this universe.

Since the gravity engine generates gravitational field to propel the ship to its desired location, there are no reaction mass or conventional exhaust like one would expect to see from the rear of the ship. There would be no flaming rows of engine blocks spewing million degrees hot exhaust like a fusion torch or an antiproton thruster. In fact, instead of thrust or force coming out the back of the ship to push it forward like most other ships, the gravity engine would project gravitational distortion in the front of the ship which the ship would chase that distortion, like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit. The distortion is basically a gravitational attraction so the ship would be drawn to it like a ship being drawn towards a planet's gravity well.

Super awesome? Yes, but too bad I wouldn't be able to use it openly. Imagine others seeing a ship moving without any reaction mass or exhaust coming out the back. It would be at best, a curious sight or at worst, a _very_ curious sight for the infamous STG and other less than savory organizations.

So, I would have to add additional subluminal propulsion engines, either an antimatter-injected fusion engine which could serve as both power generation and propulsion or a pure annihilation engine like most warships were equipped with but doesn't generally provide power to the ship on account of the antiproton being expensive and slow to manufacture in large quantity.

Conveniently, the gravity engine is self-sustaining and capable of powering itself without the need for an external power source like a fusion reactor. As a result, one of the most power intensive function such as the superluminal travel (and also subluminal flight if it is being used), would need not be worried. That way there would be no additional power draw from the fusion plant for the FTL travel.

Of course, there were weapons planned for this ship. No ship of mine would be without weapons, actually there were quite a number of weapons that I was afraid I might have to add more fusion plants to power them.

The P.D.W.S. (Point Defense Weapon System) consists of Directed Energy Aerospace Defense System (D.E.A.D.S.) which would be made up of at least a dozen free electron laser turrets that operate on ultraviolet frequency.

In term of offensive armaments, there would be three railgun batteries of varying calibers, fifty anti-ship missile turrets, eighteen vertical launch tubes and mine dispensers.

Instead of using eezo-based mass accelerators that operate on Mass Effect principle, I opted to use the conventional electromagnetic railguns. Lesser the eezo usage on the ship the better. Eezo or dark energy signature was also a way to detect ships and ships' sensors could use this data to track and identify the class and tonnage of other vessels.

My ship on the other hand uses very little amount of element zero to identify as a heavy frigate. Most would find it weird that the amount of eezo present on the ship was that of a light corvette yet the size and tonnage were that of a frigate class. My ship would not need as much eezo as other ships of the same tonnage considering that the ship would not rely on the Mass Effect physics to fly.

Despite bigger than the Normandy SR-2, it would be able to enter a planet's atmosphere to hover and even land on the surface.

With a sigh, I fished out and lit up a _Redstone Fags_ cigarette from its black-gold trim pack and inhaled it deeply then exhaled it through the nostril.

_Strong yet tender_.

Made and imported directly from Earth. One of the most expensive brands too. 57 credits per pack or 456 credits per carton. Yep! There were only eight packs per carton. Go figure. My sinuses suddenly felt invigorated and cooled like the brand advertised. Taking another puff, I admired the scene before me. Nanite swarms and constructs working like busy worker bees on a skeletal structure that would become the superstructure of the ship. Some were repurposing the metals, some were augmenting them, some were consuming them to replicate more nanites and some were converting or alloying them to make new alloys. Even with around the clock construction by the nanites, it would take a couple of months to finish the highly advanced and complex ship.

But the end result would be definitely worth it. Once the ship became online, it would outmatch other ships of the same tonnage and even challenge ships of greater mass like cruiser class vessels.

**Sorry for the late replies to the reviews!**

**Inritus**** — **

**Yes, you're right. The silencers aren't actually silent and when I was writing the first few chapters I was pretty clueless about a lot of things aside from movie knowledge so I stopped writing and spent the next two years just researching things on the internet. This story was supposed to be uploaded way back in 2017, not late 2019.**

**No, I'm not romancing Shepard, once a upon a time maybe, but no longer. There might be some teasing and mutual attraction but nothing more.**

**Yeah, the character will be able to discharge tech attacks from his hands without the omni-tool.**

**I thought about him assimilating eezo and becoming biotic but it will have to wait a bit for him to complete other more important tasks and also don't want him to get too overpowered quickly. The biotic ability will come gradually.**

**Yeah, you are right about that. The 50 cal could probably penetrate most armors, I guess I overestimated the armors a bit since the pistol was firing JHP rounds and not AP so thanks again for your review.**

**ttunikitashtobert**** — I've read nearly a hundred ME fanficts and most are just waiting around for Shepard to come along and fetch the character. I thought that was pretty boring and seriously why would Shepard, a military officer would just pick a random person without any credentials or value to the mission. Shepard must see some evidence that the character will be of importance to the mission. At least Tali, Garrus and Wrex were related to the Saren's case. So, I decided to avoid that trope of just appearing on Eden Prime and get magically recruited into Shepard clan. There will be twists in the story for I find the Crucible plot way too quick and easy.**

**GrayAngel13**** — Thank you. I try to make the story interesting and engaging.**

**Dazac**** — The Prototype virus came along with Albert Wesker who is a character from Resident Evil universe. When the character died in his lab, he picked Wesker to be his avatar when asked by the being from the In-Between aka afterlife/limbo before arriving at the Mass Effect universe.**

**The Lion's Pride**** — Yes, I'm constantly refining and filling the daily story quota to get at least ten thousand words per chapter.**

**RoyalTwinFangs**** — It's entirely possible that there will be techs/weapons inspired by other franchises. With nanites, anything is possible.**

**lolo nade**** — Yeah, a bit tedious but it was necessary to show that the character was losing his original ego so to speak.**

**RoyalTwinFangs**** — The Uroboros virus can't be transmitted sexually and if the Asari is infected then she would either die or mutated to something else.**

**raven2327**** — Thank you!**

**ArchAngel319**** — There will be shipping mainly for the character (Wesker) but it will mostly be a mix of intimate romance and business-like non-romance (just sex) throughout the story. He may eventually find someone that he truly felt for but for now he is just using relationships to further his goals to prepare for the Reapers. There will be some twists and turns so shipping for Wesker is not absolute for now.**

**Guest**** — Thank you for your kind words and I'm glad that you're not reading the rest of my story and before you read something, read the damn summary and you will realize that there will be preparations/world buildings way before charging into the fray and if you want quick action to the canon timeline then they're plenty of stories with characters just popping out of nowhere on the Eden Prime and start blasting Geths.**

**Candyking117**** — Thank you!**


	6. 05: December Rain (The Negotiator)

**Mass Effect & Resident Evil are the properties of Bioware and Capcom respectively. I do not own them. All rights go towards them.**

**Chapter 5: ****December Rain (The Negotiator)**

**(2180, Dec)**

Fiddling around with one of my .50 cal _Punishers_, I wondered why I didn't simply drop the gun on the nanite-tank and let the nanites disassemble the entire thing in a few seconds. But I believed in practical experience so I settled on manual labor and at the moment I was facing some snags. There were some components that I couldn't quite figure out. There were some foreign components not of the original design so I detached a piece and dipped it inside the nanite-tank. A split second later a nanite replica of the unknown piece floated above the tank's surface. I plucked that from the air and examined it closely.

That was one huge benefit of using liquid-geo like nanite-based hologram, you could physically touch it and in fact the piece that I was holding is the exact functional copy of the original one from the gun.

'_I think we are dealing with some kind of recoil mitigation component. Electromagnetic based from what looks like a thin film of room-temperature superconducting (RTSC) magnet and a micro power supply. It's no bigger than my thumb.'_

'_**+YES. IT SEEMS TO BE A MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL (MR) DAMPER WHICH USES MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUID REGULATED BY THE RTSC ELECTROMAGNETS FOR RECOIL DAMPENING OF THE GUN. THE MR DAMPER CONSISTS OF MR FLUID WHICH CONSISTS OF MICRON-SIZED MAGNETIC PARTICLES IN A CARRIER FLUID. THE PARTICLES LINK AND CHANGE THE FLUID INTO SEMI-SOLID IN MILLISECONDS IN THE PRESENCE OF A MAGNETIC FIELD. THE MR FLUID CONVERTS SHOCK ENERGY (RECOIL) INTO HEAT. A PRETTY NEAT SYSTEM+'**_

'_That's why the Punisher was not kicking like a mule._'

'_**+THERE'S MORE THOUGH. I THINK YOU GONNA LIKE THIS. **__**THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE FLUID CHANGES TO A SEMI-SOLID IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE STRENGTH OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD, GIVING THE FLUID INFINITE CONTROLLABILITY AND PRECISION**__**. LATER THE FLUID QUICKLY REVERTS BACK TO ITS NATURAL FREE-FLOWING STATE WHEN THE MAGNETIC FIELD IS DISABLED+'**_

'_So that means this MR recoil damper can be scaled up and used in bigger weapons with stronger recoil. It's just a matter of adjusting the magnetic field and installing a better power supply.'_

There was also another component which would regulate monstrous pressure that the modified 50 cal rounds produced. The monolithic barrel of the gun was made of carbon fiber built up on stainless steel liner tube since the expensive fiber material granted high rigidity, inherent vibration damping and remarkable resistance at a fraction of the weight of the metal barrels. Which also made the gun lighter but it was offset by heavier rounds.

That was another thing which were the bullets. They are caseless rounds, meaning they didn't have metallic casing such as brass around the solid propellant (gunpowder) which secured the projectile, propellant and primer together. The round used thin combustible envelope to secure these components together. Because the combustible casing (envelope) was vaporized when fired, there was no spent shell casings to eject.

This feature also reduced friction inside the magazine, a primary cause of jamming in weapons. Since there were no ejection of casings, it reduced another source of jamming. What's more the projectile itself was submerged inside the block of propellant reducing the overall length of the ammunition which allowed more ammo to be stored.

"_Ah that' how there are two more extra rounds."_

As impressive as this weapon was, it needed a change. That was the reason why I held up the production of different types of 50 caliber ammo such as armor-piercing (AP), armor-piercing incendiary (API), semi-armor-piercing high-explosive (SAP-HE) and etc.

I was thinking of making a new pistol. Instead of 12.7 mm (50 cal), I was considering of making a pistol that would fire smaller round, preferably a 11.43 mm (45 cal) like the M1911 Colt Government.

The new pistol must have a magazine capacity of 12 rounds plus one in the firing chamber. At least 165 mm (6.5 in) of barrel length and an effective firing range of 76 m (250 ft). Muzzle velocity of no less than 568 m/s (1865 ft/s) and minimum muzzle energy of 4.04 kJ (2976 ft⋅lbf).

Considering that mass accelerator weapons fired metal shavings at hypersonic speed which was above five times the speed of sound; Mach 5 (1701 m/s). The kinetic barriers were usually designed to block rounds that were fired at that speed. The barrier could still block projectile that moved slower than hypersonic speed but there was a limit to it. Most kinetic barriers couldn't detect any projectiles that travel below 852 m/s (Mach 2.5) except for a few kinetic barrier systems where the sensors were top notch, mass effect field projectors were finely tuned and the power supply was more than adequate.

It was that reason why the _Punishers_ could bypass the kinetic barriers of all the mercenaries that I shot. Even though their armor managed to block the rounds to some degrees, they were taken down when I aimed at the weak spots like their necks and faces. The fact that the _Punishers_ didn't have to contest the kinetic barriers was a huge advantage since the magazine-fed pistols didn't have the same amount of ammo as the mass accelerator pistols with ammo blocks.

The new pistol would exploit that particular weakness in most barriers by firing bullets at two-third the low-speed limit which was still faster than the _**Punisher**_'s muzzle velocity which is 470 m/s (1542 ft/s). Increase in muzzle velocity meant deeper penetration and larger wound cavity. Two things that were of great importance when dealing with armored opponents and enemies with tough hides like Krogans or God forbids, a Yahg.

Looking at the time, I realized that it was 1730 and as I was about to finish reassembling the _**Punisher**_, the nanite-holo abruptly switched off and replaced by the conventional holo. Frost's avatar also winked off quickly which was a sign that someone was about to enter the lab.

A few seconds later, the door to the lab was opened and light footsteps were heard approaching to my position. A pair of soft and dainty arms wrapped around my waist and soft warm body leaned closer, her supple round C cup breasts lightly pressing on my back. She put her chin on my shoulder and gingerly kissed my temple.

"So? You ready to go to dinner? I don't know about you but I'm a bit famished." Sarin asked as she slowly circled her finger on my chest.

"Yeah I'm done here. I've already made a reservation for our usual table. We can go now." I replied as I faced her and admired her figure. She was truly gorgeous. Her face in particular resembled to that French actress from the movie _The Da Vinci Code_; Audrey Tautou. I would have thought Sarin was a reincarnation of the actress if she was not born before the actress. The resemblance was quite uncanny. If I just put a black shoulder-length wig, fake human ears and colored her with the actress's skin tone it would be nearly identical. She was dressed in A-line Scoop Tea-length Lace cocktail dress with pleat for this evening affair.

"Enjoying the view, love?" She asked sultrily, slowly tracing her lips with her tongue.

"You've no idea, dear." I replied and decided to put some changes on my own appearance and attire.

"I'm going to change my clothes so just wait in the living room" I said as I went upstairs to the bedroom.

Once inside the room, I simply commanded the nanites for something between smart casual and semi-formal for the upcoming dinner date. About fifteen seconds later, I was dressed in a white dress shirt, light silver-gray suit jacket, dark blue trousers, Italian loafers and finally a pair of Ray-Ban RB2140 Original Wayfarer Classic.

After a brief look on the mirror, I returned downstairs to fetch my lady. She was sitting on the couch and I could see the delight on her face when she noticed my new look.

Without further ado, I lead her to my air car that I had parked outside on the balcony by the pool.

I approached her from behind and clasped my hands on her eyes and said, "I've a surprise waiting. Do you want to see it?" She simply nodded, clearly excited for what the surprise might be.

I escorted her outside the balcony and slowly walked her beside the pool then I unclasped her eyes when we reached the place.

It was an air car but not the typical air car that most people drove around. Those air cars looked all the same. It was like there was no creativity in designing things anymore. Therefore, I custom-built it myself using some resources from the corvette reconstruction project. Also, the air car was built inside the warehouse beside the on-going corvette construction. The air car has a lot of design inspiration from the 80's sports cars. Mainly from the Ferrari Testarossa like the side-mounted radiators and pop-up headlamps. It was even painted white like Sonny Crockett's Testarossa from _Miami Vice_ TV show.

Of course, this car didn't have wheels and it flew like any other air cars. Powered by twelve hydrogen fuel cells, slightly larger than normal and modified eezo core that allowed this air car to attain 2000 horsepower and top speed of 350+ miles per hour (563+ km/h).

The air cars in general were also contragravitic vehicles like the **Kodiak** drop shuttle, meaning the eezo core was big enough to counter the entire vehicle's mass thus allowing flight. My new air car also operated in a similar way except it could provide motive power the same as my C-Sec hover-bike, thus the modifications and larger-sized eezo core. Through mass convergences that the air car was drawn into, the vehicle moves without using other forms of propulsion.

"Wow! A custom-made air car. The design is so different but it's very beautiful and unique. Where did you commission it from?" She asked giddily, touching the hood of the car like patting a cat.

"Well I sort of made it myself. I've been designing and building it for quite some times. Just managed to finish not too long ago." I answered half truthfully. She didn't need to know about my nanites and A.I.

"I suspected that you are good at stuffs but I never expected this much from you. You're full of mysteries, aren't you?" She teased but I just shrugged at her compliment.

After a few more minutes of appreciating it, we finally got inside the air car and left for our dinner date.

We decided to take a scenic route not only to see the station's landscape but also to test the car's performance. And I've to say it was a very smooth ride. It even has that new car smell. I made sure to put manual drive into the design in addition to the standard autopilot. Sometimes it was just good to drive for yourself. The car's entertainment system was also perfect. It was quite ironic that the first song that played on the music player was that of Nancy Sinatra's _You Only Live Twice_ from 1967's James Bond film of the same name.

_You only live twice, or so it seems  
One life for yourself, and one for your dreams_

_You drift through the years and life seems tame  
Till one dream appears and love is its name_

_And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on__  
__Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone_

_This dream is for you, so pay the price__  
__Make one dream come true, you only live twice_

When I tried to skip the song, I was stopped by none other than Sarin who was apparently mesmerized by the song.

The James Bond songs were also my favorite but this particular song felt like it was aimed at me because I'm also living a second life and a life in another universe which was nothing more than a dream in my first life. But in order to live the second life and the dream, I have to pay the price by preparing for the inevitable arrival of the Reapers and the unavoidable war with them.

The universe's irony at its finest.

Eventually we arrived at the restaurant that I used to do business with the Alliance Acquisition team. The restaurant/bar was called the _**Midnight Sol**_ and was opened by a Human couple from Earth. The restaurant was a 21st century European style, high-class, five-star establishment but it was not uptight like one would think of. The general atmosphere inside the restaurant was pretty smooth. The owners themselves took part in the restaurant's day-to-day activities, mostly to oversee if the job was done right by the cooks and servers.

I was even friendly with the couple as I've been a regular since I arrived to the station. Naturally, they welcomed us personally and a few people were already crowding near my new ride. They couldn't stop oohing and ahhing at the car that was greatly inspired from a wheeled-vehicle that graced the planet Earth nearly two hundred years ago.

It didn't matter really as my car was programmed to park in the nearby car park.

So, me and Sarin were led to the private VIP dining room which was just perfect for two people.

A minute later, the owner and the husband, Mr. Carrington himself came to take our orders.

"T-bone, porter house and rib eye. All blue rare and no seasonings." I ordered my usual.

While Sarin ordered something less meaty and healthier choice of meal as she liked to repeat when she saw me ordering steak every single time. "Napa chicken and portobellos mushroom, also grilled salmon. Make the last one extra smoky." She added.

"What would you be having for wine, Sir and Madam?" Mr. Carrington asked as he jotted down our orders on a simple notepad with a pencil instead of an omni-tool.

I already had a choice in my mind for the wine so I answered the question.

_"We will be having a 2003 Champin Le Seigneur Côte Rôtie please."_

_"An excellent choice, Sir. Anything else, Sir? Madam?" He asked as he folded his notepad and pocketed it into his pocket._

_"That will be all, Mr. Carrington. Thank you." Sarin responded and pushed the menu book on the side of the table._

_Twenty minutes later, the meals were served. So, we dug in, each enjoying our own meals with a glass of 177 years old red wine from France._

_'Hmm, wine from 2003. I was not even dead yet. Wait what? Damn! Wesker was, not _**_me_**_ though. But I'm Wesker now. No, no, I'm Ray Parker inside Albert Wesker's body. I'm not Wesker. At least I think I'm not. So, not me _**_me_**_ is a more accurate description. This is so fucked up.'__ Thinking in terms of dual personalities and dual memories were not doing me any favor so I drained my entire glass of wine in one go._

_"So, after we are done with our lunch, what should we do for the rest of the night?" Sarin asked as I poured another glassful._

_"What do you have in mind? I thought we are watching a movie later." I asked, cutting up the rib eye with quick precision. The crust on the steak especially, was full of flavor on my tongue._

_"Well we are going to watch a vid but what about right after the dinner?" She replied as she cut her chicken into tiny pieces to eat with equally tiny cut-up mushrooms._

_Racking my brain for something when I remembered that this place was not just a restaurant but also a bar. Separate sections but under the same roof._

_"We haven't been to the bar before. How about we check the place out after our meals?" I inquired, finishing the last piece of rib eye and washing it down with the wine. Rare rib eye steak and the wine were a match made in heaven. It was just an exceptional pairing._

_"Yeah, that's sounds like a great idea." She commented, dipping a small piece of salmon in the white creamy dill sauce._

_We stayed there for another ten minutes before I asked for the bill._

_Both of our meals costed a little over a thousand credits while the wine was charged about fifteen hundred credits. After I paid the bill, we left the restaurant section and went into the bar section._

_The bar has more relaxing atmosphere as people milled around and mingled with each other. Even though the bar/restaurant was opened by the Humans, there were plenty of aliens around._

_We also got some stares from the bar patrons as we were dressed a bit too formal for the bar environment but we didn't mind them._

_Approaching the bar, I ordered a drink from the bartender/mixologist._

_"One _**_Four Horsemen No. 3_**_, please."_

_The drink was one of the strongest there was. One sip of this apocalyptic drink was enough to clean your sinuses but downing whole thing would make you end up on the floor. At least for a Human but I've been chugging Ryncol which was considered as the strongest drink in the entire galaxy so this fruity drink was not a problem for me._

_"_**_Thessian Black Honey_**_ for me. Thanks." Sarin requested a potent but pleasant tasting libation. Thessian drinks were usually mixed with miniscule amount of refined eezo dust which could cause quite a kicker to the biotics or the Asari in general._

_Aside from the bar with plethora of cocktails and liquors, there was also a stage with Earth musical instruments like a grand piano, an acoustic and an electric guitar, also a set of drums, a saxophone and even a violin._

I knew for a fact that from Wesker's memories, he was quite a prodigy in playing piano and occasionally violin. But I myself was good with guitar and sometimes a bit of drum.

With nothing better to do than move about, I asked the Human bartender about the musical instruments on display.

"Hey, Charlie. Are those instruments for show or do they actually work?" I questioned.

The man, Charlie who was in his early fifties turned to my direction while cleaning the glasses that I swore he had been at it for at least half a dozen times.

"Well that is Mr. Carrington's idea. He is a big fan of musical instruments especially Earth instruments." Charlie replied, putting down the glass that he finished cleaning.

"No one ever play them before? It looks like the whole thing is just collecting dust." Sarin butted in having heard the tail end of the conversation.

"Yeah, sadly no one tried to play them. How would anyone play them? Nowadays people just listen to those synthetic craps that the V.I.s spit out every week. No more artistic talent in this day and age. Just sad really." Charlie responded dejectedly.

Without thinking twice, I crossed the distance between the bar and the stage where the instruments were displayed.

I stepped on the stage and picked up the black-colored electric guitar with white trim. Adjusting the action on the guitar for a few minutes before I test played the initial guitar solo of Mr. Big's _Just Take My Heart_.

It only took about 35 seconds and I found the guitar strings to be just the right settings for me.

When I looked up from the guitar, the entire bar was silent and all the patrons were at a standstill. They have never heard this kind of sound before and they, both aliens and humans alike were very much intrigued. Sarin was also surprised as she was looking at me like I just grew another head.

Without minding them I inputted a purely instrumental song from my omni-tool. _Samba Pa Ti_ by Carlos Santana started immediately with an electric guitar role. Since I was to play the electric guitar part it was muted so my hands started moving instantly while the rest of the instruments such as congas, timbales and drums were played automatically. It was like a karaoke but instead of singing in the singer's stead, I played the guitar.

My muscle memories reawakened from their long slumber as the music progressed. I remembered practicing this song repeatedly back in my original universe. The fingers were instinctive and they didn't even need any control from my brain as I manipulated the chords to get the correct tune.

By now the entire bar's attention was on me. No one moved, no one drank. They were fixed on their spot, enticed by the kind of music they hadn't had contact before. A few people were already in front of me who were trying to get a closer look at my guitar play.

As the song reached three quarter of its length even more people were coming from the restaurant section to see the unusual spectacle. People were even whispering to each other and some were recording with their omni-tools.

I looked at where Sarin was and I saw her looking at me intently. Our eyes made contact and I recognized the look in her eyes. She was aroused, her arousal level was probably cranked up to eleven. She looked like she was barely restraining from jumping on my bone right in front of the crowd.

Already she was getting territorial as she kept giving stink eyes to other females in the bar.

Finally, the song reached its end and I noticed both Mr. and Mrs. Carrington amongst the crowd. The entire bar erupted into cheers and applauses for my performance and I just simply bowed my head and got off the stage where the crowd bombarded me with questions and even asking for repeat performance in the future.

The owners of the bar eventually drew near me, both looking pleased.

"That was a fantastic performance Mr. Wesker. Truly it was. When I placed those instruments, my wife here though it was a waste but I couldn't stash it in some storage room where they would just gather dust." Antonio Carrington gushed, looking as if his dreams were finally fulfilled.

"Well dear not many play those things anymore so I was a bit skeptical of their purpose but it seems I was proven wrong today. It was most definitely an amazing performance." Sasha Carrington explained, smiling at her husband's antics.

"Well I'm glad to bring life to those instruments again." I returned politely.

"If you could play here just an hour a day, we would be glad and in return you and your friends can eat here for free." Antonio pleaded, knowing that more people would come just for the performance. His wife looked shock and apologetic but before she could say anything, I replied. "I can't make any promises but I will come here if I'm free."

That was enough for the Antonio that he nodded his head repeatedly.

A few minutes of talking later I bid them goodbye and I went to look for Sarin but was interrupted by Frost.

'_**+SIR, SECURITY FEEDS AND NETWORK TAPPINGS INDICATE THAT THE MERCENARY FACTIONS ARE MEETING IN A FEW MINUTES, LIKELY TO NEGOTIATE CEASE FIRE BETWEEN THEM. IF THE MEETING IS SUCCESSFUL AND CEASE FIRE IS ACCOMPLISHED THEN PROJECT MAYHEM MIGHT BE IN JEOPARDY+'**_

'_No. This is an opportunity. With all the merc faction leaders in one place, I can easily take them out of the equation. Cut the head off a snake and the body will die. Prepare my gears. I will pick them up soon.'_

I found Sarin who immediately smashed her lips to mine and I returned her hungry kiss for a few seconds before I withdrew. "Love, I have a very important thing to do but it will be brief and I will return right before you know it. Now I will give you a ride back to the suite." I explained urgently but she was already quite drunk so she whined and slurred her words which were just plain nonsensical.

With no time to spare I supported her drunk body and walked back to my air car, her cocktail dress in shamble. A few minutes later we were in the air and speeding back to my penthouse. We arrived pretty quickly as I overrode the air car to drive above the speed limit.

I deposited the drunk Asari on the bed and I went to my lab where I picked up the finished _**Victorum**_ assault rifle and an experimental DMR that utilized both chemical and electromagnetic energy to fire 5.7 mm (22 cal) high-explosive armor-piercing rounds. A hybrid chem-rail weapon like from the movie _Elysium _and also an elongated boxy looking grenade launcher that could fire 30 mm high-explosive incendiary grenades.

Acquiring necessary weapons, I changed my outfit to something resembling that of SWAT uniform complete with a full-face gas mask which totally obscured my identity. For intimidation factor, the gas mask's eye covers were crimson red in color. The end result was that I looked like somewhat like the Grim Reaper HUNK.

I took off immediately, summoned a public air car and overrode its speed limit and safety features to get to the meeting place quickly.

'_Where's the location of their meeting?'_

'_**+IT'S THE TWENTY STOREY TALL BUILDING IN THE ZAKERA WARD. HERE, I HIGHLIGHTED IT FOR YOU+'**_

'_You know your drill Frost. This is a blitz condition. Keep feeding all the necessary information.'_

'_**+AFFIRMITIVE+'**_

The air car that I borrowed neared to the location of the meeting and from what security feeds were telling, they were already starting on the sixteenth floor.

_Enhanced Vision — Telescopic __**(Enabled)**_

'_Looks like all the clowns are at the party. I see a total of twelve leaders and their aids. Confirm?'_

'_**+CONFIRMED+'**_

_Enhanced Vision — Infrared __**(Enabled)**_

'_I count at least another two dozen outside the meeting room. You seeing the same?'_

'_**+THAT'S AFFIRMITIVE+'**_

'_I want you to provide distraction in the hallway outside the meeting room. I want them to panic and afraid. If everything goes according to plan, they will finish each other off. I will take care of the leaders and their bodyguards.'_

'_**+COPY THAT, BOSS+'**_

I brought the air car close to the building but out of side from the mercenary factions. I finalized all the weapon checks and calibrations.

'_In 3… 2… 1… BEGIN!'_

The air car was immediately brought to the sixteenth level, the mercenaries inside the room was shocked by my sudden appearance and the air car's side door opened, revealing myself in a menacing full-body armor with red glowing gas mask hefting a strange looking weapon but it didn't take long before I opened fire with my DMR semi automatically, firing 5.7 mm HEAP rounds at nine times the speed of sound which was more than enough to penetrate the thick bullet-resistant glass. When the entire magazine was emptied, the glass pane has more holes and cracks than a Swiss cheese.

The merc leaders and their bodyguards were hunkering down but they couldn't escape from the room as the door was locked shut by Frost. With the DMR successful in its job, I took out the _**Victorum**_ assault rifle and sprayed the entire room with hypersonic metal chips, piercing lightly armored targets and draining kinetic barriers of a few mercs who got caught in the cross fire. To push the assault rifle to its limits I disabled the heat sink safety features and continued firing at the room like an LMG. After a while the barrel started to glow red hot and I threw it aside.

Most of the bodyguards were already dead trying to protect their subjects which left the leaders themselves. I picked up the grenade launcher as a dessert and lobbed one after another, each 30 mm HEI rounds impacting and exploding in a fiery explosion like it was designed to. After all the rounds were expended, the room was on fire like it was hell on earth. Frost confirmed that there were no survivors even with the best personal kinetic barrier system, no on survived HEI rounds in an enclosed room.

The mercs in the hallway were also dead as they fired on each other amidst the chaos and paranoia.

All in all, it was a good day.

We returned back to my apartment after a mission well done.

**X-X-X**

_**Milky Way**_**/**_**Vallhallan Threshold**_**/**_**Raheel-Leyya**_

_(suspected Migrant Fleet's rendezvous point)_

Floating approximately one hundred million kilometers away from the system's binary stars, I gazed at the two celestial bodies that were participating in an eternal dance with each other.

The Raven dropship/shuttle has finally completed. It was tested through many virtual simulations as a whole complete craft and before that as individual components; particularly the MIF engines, communication systems, E-War suite and a few more vital systems. After finishing every conceivable batteries of tests without leaving the construction site (warehouse), I took a dozen test rides around the Citadel and outside the station itself. The testing caused some confusion among the station's space traffic controllers when I was trying out the electronic warfare suite of the craft.

One aspect of the electronic warfare was the electronic counter measures **(ECM)** such as false signature generation to emit thousands of ghost signatures and misinformations to confuse and distract the enemy sensors and smart guided missiles, electronic-sensor/holo-drone decoys for deceiving (visual) sensors and active/passive jamming for disrupting detection & communication systems.

Another aspect of the E-War was the electronic counter-countermeasures **(ECCM)** such as the active/passive radar homing (home-on-jam) for the Raven's weapon systems such as the semi-guided high-explosive rockets and guided high-explosive fragmentation missiles. I had to use dumb warheads instead of live ones to test the ECCMs as I didn't want anyone noticing the explosions, especially the Citadel Fleet. Counter jamming was also tested by constantly changing the frequencies of the Raven's W-EM (Wide-Electromagnetic) spectrum detection system.

It relied mainly on the computational power of the craft. The Raven's computer systems were bio computers or in technical term; nano-biological computers that used DNA and proteins to perform computational calculations such as storing, retrieving and processing data. It was a working alternative to quantum computers and it was quite a powerful computer system for such a small craft.

Next was the infrared search & track (IRST) system which could be used to detect and trace jamming or stealth targets. The last was the directional infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) which used IR laser to blind or steer the incoming missiles.

The final aspect of the E-War suite was the electronic support measures **(ESM)** or just electronic intelligence which consisted of electronic information gathering and analyzing.

The Raven dropship has such a versatile E-War suite that it could even be used as a reconnaissance and surveillance craft, not to mention as a gunship and a ship-to-ship transport shuttle. It could become the selling point of this craft.

'_When is this Weapon Convention that you mentioned to me last month?' _I asked, once I managed to pull myself out of the techno reverie.

'_**+THE WEAP-CON EVENT IS TAKING PLACE THIRD WEEK THIS MONTH WHERE MANY ARMS MANUFACTURERS WILL SHOWCASE THEIR NEW PRODUCTS. IT WILL BE HELD AT THE TARALOS AMPHITHEATER ON KITHOI WARD+'**_

'_I'm sure you've taken care of the paperworks for our debut.'_

'_**+IT HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, BOSS. BELIEVE ME IT WAS EXTREMELY CLOSE TO BEING SHIFTED TO NEXT YEAR ENTRY. I HAD TO PULL EVERY TRICKS SHORT OF DIRECTYLY HACKING THE DATABASE TO ENTER OUR SPOT ON THE EVENT+'**_

'_We've pretty much built prototypes for every weapon we've designed and the main product of the show was a complete success as evidence to the testing on the live targets a few days ago.__**'**_ I smiled briefly, remembering the live fire exercise that I performed on those mercenary leaders. Of course, those were not the founders of the merc organizations. They were just heads of the Citadel station.

It didn't matter anyway as the Council had passed the bill to officially criminalize them at least in the Council space just after the incident.

'_How's the engines doing? Is the fuel presenting any problems?'_ The MIF engines used deuterium helium-3 pellet as fuel and they fused the pellet into high-energy plasma which was captured in a field reversed configuration (the plasma was shaped into a spinning torus like a smoke ring) and was stabilized by a magnetic field. Once the plasma's internal magnetic field was self-stable, it did not need external electromagnets to prevent it from dissipating like those early attempts of fusion experiments from the 20th century. The external magnets constrained the plasma to travel down the axis of the engine but the plasma's magnetic field was reverse to the external magnets so they repelled each other. And this repulsion prevented the plasma from colliding with the engine walls. It then travelled down the axis until it entered the reaction chamber.

In the chamber, the plasma was brutally crushed by a liner/propellant (which was a foil ring composed of lithium-7, about 20 cm (7.87 in) in radius) causing fusion. The lithium foil ring was crushed by the magnetic field but a much weaker field than was required by magnetic confinement (MC) fusion which meant the electromagnetic coils that generated magnetic field were lower in mass than that were used in MC fusion. After the fusion process, the highly energetic plasma was channeled and forced rapidly out of the magnetic nozzles which provided thrust for the craft. Magnetic nozzles then converted thermal energy of plasma into directed kinetic energy. This conversion was achieved using a magnetic field contoured similarly to the solid walls of an aerospike nozzle.

The lack of giant magnetic coils and batteries of laser beams meant that the MIF engines have lower mass than magnetic confinement and inertial confinement engines and also making it possible to miniaturize them to the size of air-breathing turbofans. That's why the engines were not heavy as a house which meant the engines didn't have to use all of their thrust output just to lift off the ground, let alone the entire craft out of the planet's gravity.

Now this fusion engine produced tremendous amount of waste heat so most coolant wouldn't cut it, like liquid helium which was one of the coldest substances at −269 °C (-452 °F). Instead, the Doppler cooling or laser cooling was used, which was a mechanism that could be used to trap and slowed the motion of atoms to cool a substance to near absolute zero. Since this Doppler cooling system was powered by the engines itself, the more power it produced, the more efficient and effective the cooling system did its job.

A bit of a technical intricacy but it was necessary as this was one of the first attempt to chip away the reliance on the element zero and mass effect technology.

The end result was this little craft that was 18 meters long, 12 meters wide (wingspan) and 6 meters high including the landing gears. There was a small eezo core to provide artificial gravity and pulsed kinetic barrier (PKB) like the one from the ship being built back on the Citadel. Reinforced carbon-carbon cockpit, troop bay and engine nacelles for extra protection.

By default, the craft wasn't capable of superluminal travel as the eezo core was neither adequate nor designed for that task. But superluminal capable variant could be made by installing an appropriate eezo core. But the fact that this craft could fly without mass effect principles was an achievement unto itself. The default version of the Raven used 45% less eezo than other crafts of the same mass.

For communication, Raven was fitted with the LMR suite. Short for laser, maser and radio. Also, a QEC but that was entirely optional and not by default.

For navigation, my personal craft, Raven-01, was installed with the Promethean star chart. The funny thing was that the star chart was the most valuable and important component out of this entire craft. It was even more valuable than the fusion engines. I wouldn't even mind if the technical specifications of them were stolen but not the star chart.

This universe may be fictional in my original home but that didn't mean the star chart that was created and accumulated by the Prometheans during their million-year long space fairing timespan was useless here. This star chart contained innumerable amount of data for 99% of the entire Local Group which contains 54 galaxies and stretches about 10 million light years in diameter.

Sure, the naming systems might be different as there were no such naming like the Attican Traverse or Terminus Systems or Inner/Outer Council Space or Earth Alliance Space in my original universe. That didn't matter as Frost superimposed and synchronized the star charts of this universe to the Promethean one. Since the Council species and others were limited in exploring the galaxy by the mass relay network, they've barely covered 1% of the entire Milky Way galaxy. Now compared to the Promethean star chart which described every minute details of the Local Group, let alone this galaxy.

I knew which star systems have what kind of resources, which have habitable planets, which stars were about to supernova, which were turning into black holes and which have intelligent lives. The last one might not be accurate as the Reapers have been harvesting advanced intelligent species but the mass relays also didn't cover every star system in this galaxy, not like the Prometheans who charted every single star there was by using some sort of self-replicating organic _von Neumann_ probes.

This star chart was one of the most valuable things that I have in the known universe or even this Local Group. I could spend the rest of my life ultra-rich just by selling star charts of new and unexplored star systems.

But that was just boring as fuck so here I was waiting and sneaking up on the massive Quarian fleet so that I could talk to them about a mutually profitable business deal like, maybe employing Quarian engineers and mechanics to work for my upcoming arms manufacturing company.

I've been waiting here for nearly six hours and I was starting to dread that they might not arrive for another day or two. I've informed the Quarian community on the Citadel that has direct _phone line_ to the Migrant Fleet of my visit to their fleet but I highly doubt they took my notice seriously so I took the initiative by coming here myself.

So, I waited for another hour while testing the Raven's offensive capabilities on a few rogue asteroids. Test firing the retractable 14.9 mm (59 cal) chin-mounted railgun, the ferric tungsten armor-piercing slugs flew at fifteen times the speed of sound (5105 m/s, 16747 ft/s). The sheer kinetic energy imparted was enough to shatter the house-sized space rocks apart and the rate of fire was pretty decent for a railgun as it fired at the rate of 720 rounds per minute. Sustained fire would definitely overheat the railgun despite the thermal flush liquid helium cooling system. Therefore, firing an eight-round burst at a time would be far more viable.

Before I could let loose some missiles, the relay started showing signs of incoming transit.

'_Frost, I think the Quarians are coming. Finally.' _I was this close to turning around and leaving this system. To hell with the Quarians.

'_**+A SMALL FLOTILLA HAS EXITED THE RELAY. MOST PROBABLY A SCOUT GROUP TO CHECK THE SYSTEM FIRST+'**_

'_A standard practice for them to check a system first before informing the rest of the fleet to follow suit. Cautious but understandable. Have they noticed us yet?'_

'_**+NOT YET BUT THEY WILL IN A FEW MINUTES+'**_

'_Alright then, make yourself scarce. You know how the Quarians will react to a sentient A.I.'_ I ordered. _'I will do all the work for this.'_

The sensors beeped when the initial scout flotilla entered into the visual range which then followed straight away by the insistent comm request by the lead corvette.

"This is the _Cyniad_ of the Quarian Scout Flotilla of the Migrant Fleet. To whom am I speaking to?" Distinctly male Quarian voice announced.

"This is Captain Albert Wesker of the Raven-01 shuttle craft. I request to speak with the Quarian Conclave on a matter of mutually beneficial arrangement between us." I declared, my voice strong and firm but not disrespectful.

"And what would that arrangement be, Captain?" The same Quarian asked, probably the ship's Captain.

"The short version is that the deal that I'm presenting to the Conclave will be greatly beneficial to the Quarians in general and it has to do with manufacturing line of work. I'm very sure your leaders will be interested in what I've to offer. Captain." I ended the sentence with slight gravitas to show that I was being serious.

The _Cyniad's_ Captain finally understood that I was not going to explain any more than the bare minimum.

"Please wait while I convey your request. I suggest you maintain your position a hundred thousand kilometers from the fleet."

"I copy."

A few minutes later the entire Migrant Fleet arrived into the system and it took a while for the entire fleet to exit the mass relay.

It took another hour before the _Cyniad_ contacted again, "Please proceed to _Lestiak_. Be advised, any sudden or threatening gestures from you and we will take action to ensure the safety of the Migrant Fleet." The same Captain warned, making known that his ship and others have their eyes on me.

I just scoffed and replied, "Acknowledged."

**X-X-X**

**Migrant Fleet/Liveship **_**Rayya**_

Abord one of the three liveships of the Quarian fleet, Admiral Shala'Raan vas _Tonbay_ was visiting the family of her fellow Admiral Rael'Zorah whose family she had known for over 25 years.

She was mainly there to spend time with her niece, Tali'Zorah, the only daughter of Rael'Zorah and Yahi'Zorah. It was only two years ago that Tali's mother died of an airborne virus. Since then she has been watching over her whenever she could and now Tali was nineteen and in a few more years, she would be on her own Pilgrimage. Time certainly flew fast when living their entire lives abord the ships just trying to survive another day.

At the moment, she was speaking with her old friend Rael and Tali in the Liveship's atrium where there were artificial garden and fountains with average Quarians mingling around each other.

"By the way, are there any new developments from the scout ships sent near the Geth territory?" She asked the Admiral.

"As you know they arrived at the location a week ago but they didn't report any sightings." Rael'Zorah explained as he looked at his daughter who was staring outside the observation window as the Migrant Fleet have just exited the mass relay to another system.

"So those rumors of Geth ships outside the Perseus Veil are just rumors then." Shala'Raan asked, she didn't miss Rael looking at his wistful daughter.

"Not exactly. The scout ships detected traces of the Geth ships' drive signatures and static discharges when they investigated one of the system's gas giant."

"It is certainly worrying that the Geths are venturing outside the Veil. They've never done that before in the last three hundred or so years."

Going for a change of subject she asked him about Tali, "I see Tali is still in mourning then."

"Yeah, she witnessed the last moments of her mother in agony. The virus hit Yahi pretty bad. It was neither a dignified nor a painless death."

"She will come through. I'm sure. She's strong like her mother." Sharla stated like a certainty.

Before they spoke another word, her omni-tool flashed, alerting her of an incoming message. She pressed the haptic holo-display to view the message. After reading the content she turned to talk to her friend who also just finished reading his omni-tool. It seemed to her that he also received the same message as her so both Admirals said goodbye to the lone Quarian by the window before they rushed towards the elevator and got down to the hangar level.

They got into a shuttle, choosing to share the ride and not bothering to travel in their respective shuttles as the pilot took them to the ship that they were being summoned to.

As they approached their destination, they spotted an unknown yet human-looking shuttle craft that they haven't seen before. Curiosity peaked as they speculated between each other for the reason behind the sudden summoning to a cruiser-class civilian ship. The only thing they could think of was that someone outside the Fleet had come here to speak to them.

Their shuttle landed inside the cruiser's hangar bay. The cruiser was pretty big measuring at 650 meters long. The size was one of the reasons the _Lestiak_ was frequently chosen as a venue for meeting outsiders.

They got off the shuttle and were immediately escorted to the amphitheater-like chamber where they would likely to host the meeting with the outsider who might be a Human. When they arrived there, they were a bit surprised that the chamber was filled with both the Civilian Concave and the Admiralty Board.

A lone Human in a black trench coat was in the middle of the amphitheater, the entire chamber's attention was on him. He was explaining something to the Conclave. He was looking calm and collected even though he was facing the leaders of an entire alien race alone. With his hands behind his back he looked quite confident even a bit arrogant.

'_Typical Human.'_ She thought. While she didn't have any grudges against the relatively new upcomers on the galactic stage. She sometimes thought they were too confident and domineering in their ambitions.

"Captain Albert'Wesker vas _Raven_, could you tell us of your purpose here? You relayed through the comm that you wish to meet with the Conclave to discuss something of benefit to the Quarian people." If the Admiral saw any sign of irritation from the Human for being called that way, he didn't show it.

The trench coat clad Human moved forward and looked up slightly at the Conclave members, his eyes scrutinizing each one of them like he was judging them.

"Esteemed Quarian Conclave members and Admirals, I came here to present a mutually beneficial transaction between my company and the talented people of the Migrant Fleet. The Quarian people are known for their skill in mechanics and engineering and they are even unparalleled in some aspects. Today I travelled here to the last bastion of the Quariankind by myself to ask that I wish to employ a number of your capable engineers and technicians." The Human, Albert'Wesker finished with a flourish.

'_Hmph! Flatterer'_ Shala'Raan thought, glancing at Rael who also shared the feeling.

But the Conclave and most of the Quarians in the chamber were lapping up the praises, the collective ego was stroked by a tactful Human orator.

"And what might your line of business be that would require you to come here in person? Any other person would have grabbed a Quarian from the street and coerced him/her to work with little to no payment." One Conclave member asked with a few expressing their approvals of the question.

"My line of business is arms manufacturing and, no, you would not have heard it before as my company is operating in incognito mode. The Quarian workers will mainly work in weapon assembly lines as workers, supervisors, quality control and so on. For the second question, I'm a business man and when I do something, I do it the right way and not the easy way. And for too long, the Quarian people have been treated badly for their forebearers' actions. I believe there's a Human saying that goes like this; "_The sins of a father should not be visited upon the son"_. I came here in person to make this deal because I've nothing but respect for the Quarian people and their ability." He concluded, stunning the entire the chamber.

Never in their nomadic years did anyone came to talk to them with respect. Most other races scorned them for releasing the Geth and treated them with contempt. Yet the Human was courteous and appreciative of their race and talent.

It took a few moments for the Conclave to regain their bearings and reply something. But before any of the Conclave members could say a word the Human spoke again.

"The Quarians in my employ will be well taken care of. They will not have to worry for their living arrangement, in fact I'm willing to go so far as to provide sterile living environment for all. Their health care will be provided and if the employee is with family then his/her children's education will be taken care of."

The entire amphitheater was again stunned into silence. It sounded just too good to be true.

One Conclave member popped the question of minimum wage and working period of a Quarian.

"An employee will be given seven credits per hour and that's just the start. The working hour is eight hours per day with fifty minutes lunch break and ten minutes recess. You need not worry for the details as those will be stipulated in the contracts. They will be treated with respect and dignity deserving of every sentient being in the galaxy. Anyone who harass or hurt them will not be tolerated."

The Conclave was thoughtful as they did some calculations in their heads. The pay was not bad at all since most Quarians got paid no more than three to four credits per hour. This was literally an ancestor-send for them and it was hard to ignore the deal that landed on their collective laps.

"How many Quarians are you willing to employ?" The same member asked.

"Up to 1500. For now." The entire assembly was in another uproar as they had expected a little over hundred at best and a few dozen at worst but not in the thousand figures. Not to mention he said, quote: _**"For now."**_

"Am I hearing the number correctly or is this one of the Human jokes?"

"You heard it correctly and no, this is not a joke." The Human replied.

And so, the Human and the Conclave discussed further issues which lasted for another hour or so.

"If you are worried about the safety of your people then I suggest you send a few security details with the workers." The Human offered.

"We will take that suggestion into consideration."

Shala'Raan though this day couldn't have gone better than this and she turned to Rael who was sporting a rare enthusiasm in his body manner.

The meeting was adjourned and the Human was escorted out of the chamber while the Conclave and the Admiralty Board discussed among each other of the latest event. After a few hours of debates and discussions, the Admiralty Board has deemed sending a few Marine squads along with the workers for security as the number of Quarians in question could be categorized as a community.

They summoned back the Human and told him of their decision and to send a few of Migrant Fleet Marines along for safety of the Quarian workers. The Human brought up the necessary contracts to review and they went through preliminary examination of the paperworks.

It would take a few more days for the Quarian lawyers and Conclave members to go through with a fine-tooth comb. The Human was given one of the best quarters on the ship for the duration of this proceeding.

On the fourth day after the Human had come up with the deal of the century. They officially signed the contract followed by a celebration for the successful deal.

It was a unanimous decision to send a few of the Quarians ahead with the Human to get the sense of the situation. These Quarians would be the lead elements of the upcoming Quarian workforce.

"So how would your shuttle carry sixteen Quarians with their stuffs?" Shala'Raan asked as she pressed the button for the hangar bay. The Quarians that were coming back with me were already in the hangar.

"My shuttle can carry up to 18 seated and 24 floor-loaded. You're thinking that my shuttle would have a similar crew capacity to that of the Alliance **Kodiak** drop shuttle." I explained to the Admiral who was accompanying me back to Raven-01.

"That's a pretty spacious shuttle." She commented but her statement was immediately followed by a question from another person who was with us; Admiral Daro'Xen vas _Moreh_. She tagged along with us when she saw me leaving the ship. I swore she was deliberately waiting for me.

"Who made it then? Its design looks like nothing I've ever seen before and I noticed that your shuttle is not emitting corresponding eezo signature as the implied tonnage should be. Somehow it is showing around 40% decrease in dark energy emission. Why is that?" She asked, more like interrogated.

"The shuttle was based on the design of an air-breathing VTOL from Earth 170 years ago and it was made by me and the craft was designed to utilize less eezo." I answered her succinctly though she was not entirely content with the short answer but I was saved by the proverbial bell as the ubiquitous slow-ass elevator reached the hangar deck.

I then without dithering about moved towards the Raven-01 and the passenger compartment was already filled and out of the group, I easily recognized one of the Quarians, a Marine to be precise. He was none other than Lieutenant Kal'Reegar.

After checking with them I moved in to the cockpit and departed from the _Lestiak_. Farewells were exchanged, my lone shuttle and the Fleet parted ways wishing us good luck. Then I piloted the shuttle at top speed to the system's relay and I returned back like how I first arrived to this system. By hitching a ride on a ferry ship which went through a few other relays before dropping the shuttle at the _Widow_ Nebula.

One more task check marked on my list of things to do. Just a few hundred more left.

**X-X-X**

_**Serpent**_** Nebula/**_**Boltzmann**_** System/**_**Bekenstein**_**/**_**Milgrom**_** City**

_**Zephyr**_** Hotel & Resort**

_**Lapis Lazuli**_** Banquet Hall**

Laavlea D'Veeri was a teal-complexioned Asari in her Matron years and she was an explorer at heart. She has been working for a galactic exploration firm for better part of her life since she was a Maiden as a steward on a ship. She still remembered all those years and she even recalled the first ship's name, _Aquarius_. An Asari-made corvette-class surveyor ship no longer than a hundred meters.

Becoming a stewardess of an exploration ship was not part of her plan, it was a pure chance that she boarded the wrong ship. The ship she thought was a mercenary transport ship on its way to an outpost was not to be when the ship kept on going for days without reaching her destination then she realized that she was on the wrong ship. During the six-month mission, the Captain of the ship; an Asari Matriarch, a tough broad in her opinion assigned her as a stewardess. Laavlea was a haughty little girl back then so she refused to do her part which was a very bad idea as the Matriarch punished her by not feeding anything.

She was stubborn for a few days until her hunger became unbearable. She recalled how she cried like a child and she started doing chores around the ship then she was fed at night by the Matriarch. She was taught by the elder Asari on why was it so important for everyone on the ship to do their duties as the ship and the very survival of the crew depended on crewmember doing their part. Later the Matriarch taught her the importance of teamwork, self-responsibility, vigilance and other virtues that she would remember till the end of her days.

She came to enjoy the camaraderie between the shipmates in the six-month period she spent with them. After the mission ended, the ship returned back to the Council space but she decided to remain with them and became an official member of the ship. Over the years she learned more and more about the line of work and eventually she fell in love with the allure of space, stars and the very exploration itself.

Laavlea finally became the _Aquarius's_ Captain just as she entered her Matron stage. She captained the _Aquarius_ for many more years before the firm that she worked for shut down as not much interest or funding was flowing in as it should be.

She has been out of job for a few years now. Until a month ago she was struggling to work in jobs that she has no experience or interest in. It was like starting from zero again and those jobs were nowhere near stable and good paying as her beloved job of exploring the stars. Soon something changed when she received an anonymous email to her address about a job opportunity pertaining to that of her old profession. At first she ignored the mail as she thought it was nothing more than ads based on her Extranet activities but the unknown email persisted so she humored the message by following all the steps for the heck of it and after a little research on her part, she was quite sure that the content might be legitimate in the end.

And the message directed her to this Hotel in _Milgrom_ city, _Bekenstein_. The Human version of Illium was quite nice to her eyes but they people though, not so much.

She was at the moment sitting alone on the chair in the third row second column, holding a champagne flute that was emptied awhile back ago. She was also nervous that this event might be nothing more than a scam but she had a hard time believing that someone would go all the way to lease this grand and expansive banquet hall just for some cheap trick or a practical joke. Besides she was not alone as she saw a number of people she used to see in her former line of work. Not to mention the service, the drinks, the finger foods, the decorations and even the music were done aesthetically and nicely.

She had already spoken with a few other with the similar profession to herself and the stories were near identical. Of how they received anonymous messages and how some of them were even escorted from the doorsteps of their homes to here like a VIP.

The only thing they could identify of their mysterious host was that of a logo which was a spiral galaxy outline, likely that of Milky Way and the antiquated wet navy compass that almost covered the entirety of the galaxy outline. It was a simplistic design yet effective in conveying the message behind the logo which was that it had something to do with exploration.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and from the left corner of the hall, a door opened and a Human female in formal business dress appeared and walked towards the front center of the hall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's such a great day for all of you to be with us. Let me introduce myself. My name is Melia McClure and I'm sure you are pretty curious about what all of this is about." She said looking at the myriads of humans and aliens alike.

Taking the silence as a yes she continued, "This event is only possible because of a man who believes that the efforts in galactic exploration has drastically declined over the years and that the spirit of exploration is slowly dying as we speak. A man who believes that this enterprise will reignite the fervor for the exploration of the unknown, voyage to the new heavens and unraveling of the universe's endless mysteries. With that said, I would now like to welcome Mr. Albert Wesker, the founder and CEO of this enterprise."

As soon the announcer said her piece, the mahogany double-leaf door opened on the opposite side of where the announcer entered from.

Laavlea saw a tall blonde Human male entered and took the spot beside the announcer. The Human was dressed in an odd outfit that she has not an inkling of. She just knew that it was somewhat formal and freestyle at the same time yet she didn't recognize the fashion at all and she was not alone as even the Humans in the hall looked quizzically at the man.

The man in everyone's mind was wearing a retro 20th century suit, black turtleneck, black gloves and a pair of aviator sunglasses. It was an odd yet fashionable look to the rest of the Humans and aliens.

Laavlea noticed that the man has an air of seriousness around him and he neither smiled nor frowned as he scanned the crowd in front of him and to her surprise, his gaze lasted a split second longer when his eyes were on her. Then, he uttered his first sentence which she noticed as deep yet level.

"My fellow explorers and pathfinders, it is not a secret that the exploration of the universe has been severely put on hold for the fear of opening the mass relays and encountering hostility from the other side. A reasonable concern to be sure, so if the relays are to be left alone, the only other way is to explore more systems through the already opened relays. But you of all people know the most that finding a habitable system from out of all the other systems that encompass a relay system is one in a thousand, and one in a hundred if luck is on your side." The blonde man said, folding his hands behind his back like he was readying for a long lecture.

But he was not wrong because there were times when Laavlea would cross light years to only found that there was nothing of note and even if she and her crew found something, six or seven out of ten times it was just a useless barren system without a garden world that most sought after. Sometimes not even a near-garden world. When such thing happened, all the credits, resources, manpower and time for that trip was usually down the drain. If it kept happening and no perceptible profit or value was gained then it could very well bankrupt the organization that undertook them. She knew the frustration very well.

"Not just that but also the typical FTL speed of a ship is 15 light years per day or less. The range is also limited by the need for the static discharge of the element zero core. And the endurance of a ship's crew and supplies are constrained by the need for shore leaves and not so inexhaustible food supplies. The **only** way to achieve a mission without compromising the earlier points is to make sure that when the ship arrives at a system, that system must **undoubtedly** have what we need, to consider it a mission **success**." He stated, sound of a pin drop could be heard if there was such, as the entire hall of people just silently listened to him.

The problem was that the probes and telescopes were used to pin point and ascertain the viability of a star system but it was never a hundred percent accurate since even the cutting-edge state-of-the-art telescopes couldn't provide live data of a star system and sending FTL capable probes were just not feasible and not to mention extremely expensive. That was one of the reasons Laavlea would take telescopic data with a grain of salt. She relied mostly on her instincts as the ship's Matriarch Captain advised her long ago.

"Now all of this will not be possible and I wouldn't be embarking on this venture if the aforementioned kind of certainty is not assured." The Human said, causing many including her to become puzzled and then surprised at the implication of his words.

'_Could he have found a way to make sure that a system has favorable characteristics beforehand?'_ She thought frantically and before she could contemplate further on her thought someone put it into words of what she just mused to the Human.

"Are you saying that you've a way to correctly determine whether a system has a garden world or not?" More voices were heard and some, more intellectual minded people were already discussing of the implication the Human dropped on them just now and on how might that be possible.

Laavlea looked back at the Human and recognized that he was a bit amused by what was happening in front of him. So, she shushed at the other audience to let the man explain his claim.

"Thank you, Miss D'Veeri." Laavlea was understandably surprised that the man knew her name personally which also heightened her interest in him further.

"We've found a way to verify the feasibility of a star system with ninety percent authenticity. In fact, we've discovered a habitable moon orbiting a system's gas giant in the Attican Traverse." As to prove his point the holo image of said moon was projected in front of him from his strange looking ruby red omni-tool.

Laavlea stood up as many others and she advanced towards the image to scrutinize in details and surprisingly the mathematical data of the moon was also displayed which made the validity of the find easier to confirm.

The whole crowd used their skills and experiences to find fault and debunk the find yet they couldn't, so in the end they relented and accepted the result.

She couldn't believe it. The data presented in front of her was undeniable at least on mathematical basis and the math didn't lie. She felt flurries of emotions; shock, turmoil, denial and finally acceptance. Her acceptance was now slowly turning into excitement as what this could mean in the future. She also realized that this event was totally worth her time after all.

"Before you fully grasp the potential implications that may have on your future and the future in general, I invite you to come and see what more can your future be." She heard the man announced and again she was curious what the Human might have up his sleeve.

Laavlea followed the Human's lead when he led them through the hotel's back exit and nearly one hundred like her reached the shuttle pads. She saw five shuttle crafts that she hasn't seen before. Matte black in color, these crafts looked military to her so she decided to ask the man instead since he was unfazed and might probably be the owner of these crafts.

"Um, excuse me. I believe I didn't recognize them before and where are you taking us if you don't mind me asking."

"Those would be Raven shuttle crafts and I'm taking all of you to an orbital shipyard." And he didn't explain anymore so she just followed alongside him.

She boarded the surprisingly spacious craft, fastened her seatbelts and prepared for the imminent departure. Five minutes after pre-flight checks, they were in the air leaving the populated area for take-off from the planet. When all five Ravens were far enough, they inclined their noses sharply upward and fired their engines at full thrust.

Six minutes later all the Ravens have reached the stable orbit and they were on their way to a relatively small shipyard. Since the shuttle that she rode in was manned by the blonde Human himself, they were the first to dock.

When all the Ravens have docked and the passengers disembarked, they were led to a portside observation lounge of the station.

"That ship right there is the future of the Final Frontier Enterprise." The blonde man said as he pointed his finger at a ship docked by one of the station's protruding arms.

"The _Moonraker_-class Survey Corvette is 100 meters long, 35 meters wide and 18 meters high. Moonraker One is completed and Moonraker Two will be finished in a couple more weeks. Total of seven _Moonraker_-class vessels are to be built. With the latest in sensor technology and efficient eezo core, this little craft can carry out wonders of exploration." The Human explained, the whole group was awe-inspired by what they were seeing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is clear that we have the means and tools at our disposal. This is your future if you reach for it. You shall be given two weeks to think things over. But I hope we shall meet again in the future, together writing another chapter of this galaxy. Thank you for your attendance and now you shall be escorted back to the Hotel for dinner and celebration." The blonde Human concluded, the people began clapping and cheering him.

**-X-**

It was at night when Laavlea arrived at the banquet hall again. This time the place was set up for dinner and festivities. As far as she could see there were both levo-amino and dextro-amino foods and drinks. The attendees were all chatting and generally socializing with each other.

At the front of the hall, she spotted a large hologram of the _Moonraker_ ship and also the name of the organization was floating above the ship in bright capital letters; **FINAL FRONTIER ENTERPRISE**.

She looked around for the founder of the organization and found him with an another Asari who was talking to him. By the closeness between them she realized that they were in a relationship. But it was not that what made her looked closely at the couple but because she recognized the Asari who was with the blonde Human. She recognized her because the Asari with purple complexion belonged to one of the most prominent family of the Asari Republic.

Before she could contemplate further, a clinking sound was heard and the founder, Mr. Albert Wesker stood up from his seat with his Asari companion beside him.

"Today is the new beginning for many of us but most importantly for the reemergence of exploration and discovery. May we find undiscovered lands and new worlds. _Salute_."

His words were met by, "Cheers!" "Hear, hear!" "Aye, aye!"

And then the music and dance began as people paired up with their companions or significant others. Laavlea decided to sit this one out as she grabbed a flute of champagne from passing by waiter. She watched couples dancing slowly to the Earth's music and occasionally they would change partners, shuffle and repeat.

She was enjoying her drink until a shadow blocked her and when she looked up from her table, she was facing none other than the founder himself. He just extended his hand to her which she understood as an invitation for a dance. She got up to dance as she didn't want her future potential employer to think lowly of her.

As she and him moved to the middle of the dance floor the song ended and another played.

_Where are you? Why do you hide?_

_Where is that moonlight trail that leads to your side?_

She thought that the song was smooth and gentle as she swayed slowly with the Human male. She relaxed her mind and just decided to go along.

_Just like the Moonraker goes in search of his dream of gold,_

_I search for love, for someone to have and hold,_

_I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams,_

_Felt your touch and it always seems,_

_You love me,_

_You love me._

She also heard the word Moonraker and thought it might have something do with the name of the ship that was shown to her in orbit. The dreamy sensation the song exuded with the simple dance of just moving your feet was just magical. She never felt like this before.

_Where are you? When will we meet?_

_Take my unfinished life and make it complete._

She noted that it was an interesting experience as she felt one of his hands on her hip and the other on her back. Now she understood why Maidens were so crazy about the Human cultures. Because she was also feeling like a Maiden again as she flushed a little, nearly stepping on her dancing partner's foot.

_Just like the Moonraker knows his dream will come true someday,_

_I know that you are only a kiss away._

_I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams,_

_Felt your touch and it always seems,_

_You love me,_

_You love me..._

The song finally ended, she was both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"So, is there any chance the ship of the name was inspired by this song?" Laavlea asked with nothing better to do.

"Partly yes. This is the main theme song of a movie called the _Moonraker_ which was released back in 1979, two hundred years ago. The movie was about this spy who was trying to stop this man from killing the entire Human race and repopulating the planet with his chosen individuals." He explained.

"Did the spy succeed in stopping the man?" She asked, curious about the outcome.

"Yes, he did. He threw him out of the air lock of his own space station." He answered.

"Oh, that's a terrible way to die." She knew how being killed by decompression was one of the worst ways to die. But there was something that she wanted to ask which has been troubling her.

"How do you personally know my name? I felt like I'm being picked in person."

"Well that's because you have a rich history for this line of job. You've been in the business for centuries and also because you will be the Captain of the Moonraker One…"

Laavlea nearly choked on her champagne as she heard the latter part of the sentence.

"I'm what?" She stuttered, thinking she might have heard incorrectly. "But I have not even decided whether to take the job."

"You will. You already have decided. You just don't know it yet. This is a part of you and you have doing this for a long time just to discard it when there's a chance."

She knew that he was right but she never imagined she would be in this good fortune. Of course, it was already decided the moment she came to this grand opening.

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/**_**Kithoi**_** Ward/**_**Taralos**_** Amphitheater**

Captain David Anderson arrived on the Kithoi Ward as he got off the air car. He smoothed his non-existent wrinkle on his immaculate Alliance Navy uniform. He was very proud of his uniform and treated it with respect deserving of such. As the commanding officer of the SSV _**Tokyo**_; a _Yorktown_-class cruiser, he believed in leading his subordinates by example and not through intimidation but through understanding.

He looked at the structure ahead of him, an amphitheater reminiscent of ancient Greek or Rome. He was here because of an invitation and also, he just happened to be the closest high-ranking Alliance officer. The Alliance HQ usually sent a team of representatives to these kinds of military related fairs. The invitation to the event was none other than a weapon expo that the Citadel was the host to every year. This time was a bit different as he was addressed specifically in the invitation letter for the show. He was a bit puzzled since he didn't know of any who would send a personal invite to him.

Nevertheless, he has a convention to attend to so he went inside the amphitheater after he showed his invitation letter to the security checkpoint at the same time, he was scanned both electronically and physically for any restricted items.

He didn't immediately arrive at the amphitheater when he went inside as he has to pass through a large hall where the weapon manufacturers were showcasing their small infantry portable firearms to large vehicle mounted weapons. He saw arms manufacturing companies of almost all races participating in this show. Even the peace loving Asari have several firearm brands exhibiting their merchandise. He didn't blame them though as selling weapons was extremely profitable and even the pacifists understood that fact clearly.

He chose to proceed to the main arena instead of sightseeing around as he would return later anyway. That way he could check out the weapons in leisurely pace. He walked a couple hundred more meters before he reached his destination. Saying that the venue was grand would be understatement of the year as he got the first impression of the _Taralos_ amphitheater.

The amphitheater was semi-circle in shape and sunken mostly below the surface of the Ward with the main arena featuring the spectacular backdrop of the _Kithoi_ lake. The 25 meters high body of water along with marine life from the lake as the background added the quality of distinctiveness to the amphitheater. Anderson also errantly thought that if the glass that holding back the water was to break then the entire place would be underwater.

He finally found his seat but was quickly disappointed that there was another person sitting beside his place. That person was none other than Ambassador Donnel Udina, an Alliance diplomat appointed to the Citadel. Anderson had only met him a few times and he was already fed up with him. Compared to the last Alliance Ambassador Anita Goyle, Udina was a sleazeball and he would rather have Anita Goyle representing Humanity's interests than a slimy politician. He took his seat and sat for a few seconds before his peace and quiet was interrupted by Udina.

"Captain Anderson, I understand that you are here because of the invitation sent to you specifically by someone who suspiciously knew enough about an Alliance Navy officer's shore leave roster. Why is that?" Udina asked.

"You think I was targeted particularly to be the one who would come to this convention." Anderson replied with a question.

"It seems to be that way. Now is there anyone who might be out there to get you, any personal enemy or issue. If not, then what might be the reason for someone to get you here? And for what purpose?" Udina questioned one after another not allowing Anderson to answer back.

"I honestly don't know, Ambassador. I don't currently have any enemies that I have to look over my shoulder. The initial plan of mine was to enjoy a much-needed shore leave for me and my crew until the HQ relayed this new assignment." Anderson sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.

The two went relatively quite as each of them were in their own little thought bubbles. It didn't take long before the show started. The introduction, the brief history of the event, the participants and etc. were announced in rapid succession. Weap-Con event has officially started and the Alliance Ambassador and the Captain prepared for the next three-hour long affair.

**-X-**

'_Frost, I believe the Operation __**Iroquois**__ is ready.'_

'_**+READY AS IT WILL EVER BE, BOSS. ARE YOU SURE YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS? ISN'T IT SEEMS A BIT THEATRIC AND OUTLANDSIH? EVEN FOR ME+'**_

'_No, that's exactly what we need. Recognition, hype, attention and even controversy for our brand. The Lethal Weapon Incorporated name must be on the tip of everyone's tongue. The quality and performance are not enough to sell the weapons or make the company famous and popular. Aforementioned traits are also needed so that the company will not be forgotten right after the exhibition. We are not just selling the weapons but also the very brand itself. If a little bit of theatrics and controversies are required for brand recognition then I will gladly do those. We don't have much time for the company and its products to be recognized gradually. So, yes, we are doing the __**Iroquois**__.'_

'_**+OK THEN! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, BOSS. I WILL BE 100% BEHIND YOU+'**_

'_Thank you, Frost. I appreciate your support.'_

As I finished the conversation with Frost, Sarin entered the room. She was still choosing her dress for the occasion unlike me who was already dressed some time ago. I chose a set of formal three-piece suit complimented by a necktie instead of a bow tie as I first planned and the suit was, of course, retro instead of the contemporary design. The Aviator sunglasses were to be taken off as soon as hit the arena.

Sarin and I wouldn't be going together as I would have to prepare for the surprise entrance and introduction of my company. Since the company was new, the available slot was given last which in fact perfectly suited for the occasion. Since my company's debut would be the final part of the exhibition, I could take more time than the earlier businesses.

I went out of my bedroom and to the downstairs, ready to leave.

"Sarin, I'll be going now. You're sure you will go by yourself." I asked before I left the penthouse.

"Yes, Albert. I can go by myself. I'll catch up with you later." She replied.

I exited the living room and out to the balcony where my Testarossa-inspired air car was parked.

I got inside my air car, lifted off the pad and headed for the new second warehouse that I leased a week ago. The second warehouse was smaller than the first one and that warehouse contained the instrument of Operation _**Iroquois**_. The second warehouse was also a temporary place for a few Quarian engineers and workers. They would also be assisting me with the _**Iroquois**_. Most of the Quarians were on _Bekenstein_ where a patch of land was bought along with the abandoned industrial buildings that went in disuse after the first generation of colonists. Those buildings were being repaired, renovated and repurposed into weapons manufacturing facilities. Not just weapon factories but also buildings for the Quarian workers to live in, weapon testing areas and temporary R&D labs. I have to bribe the governor of the planet so that I could easily buy land, build factories and settle a small population of Quarians. But this was not the permanent solution. Once my personal ship was completed then I would be moving the business to the habitable moon I discovered in the Attican Traverse. A location that was not known by anyone would be extremely valuable.

I arrived at the warehouse and was greeted by the Quarian in charge who reported me of the progress and latest developments.

"Are the pilots ready for the show? Have they familiarized themselves with the systems?" I questioned the Quarian supervisor who was in a brand-new suit/uniform that I designed it myself. All my Quarian workers have to wear it as the uniform was not just a service requirement but also a protective outfit that can withstand a few heavy pistol rounds. The red and black colored uniform with small eye holes were designed for safety and mobility. The feedback on the uniform was well received as many liked its craftsmanship and quality.

"The systems are pretty old but they are not overly complicated. If they just pay attention to the altitude, I don't think they will have any problem." The Quarian answered.

"Good. That's what I need to hear and don't worry about the C-Sec. I already have informed them ahead of time. They will even clear the way for us so we are good to go." I filled in, looking at the six _**Iroquois**_. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I looked at them, remembering how they were iconic back in my day. The Quarian mechanics around them were doing final checks and putting finishing touches on them.

It was time to let loose the dogs of war.

**-X-**

The _Kithoi_ Ward was home to the Council Central Archives, Taralos Amphitheater, Edroki Plaza, Larathos Institution, Kithoi Point and many more places of significance. It could be said the Kithoi was a tourism ward where many residents of the Citadel and the many visitors to the Citadel went at least once during their stay.

So, many were reasonably confused when ten C-Sec air cars were flying above the ward in escort formation with their red & blue lights on. Their puzzlement was clarified when they heard loud whirring and whooshing sound. The loud noise kept getting closer and closer until six strange looking things appeared around the corner of a building.

Many people on the street and in the buildings were pointing their fingers at those strange things as they headed towards the _Taralos_ Amphitheater. Most were left bewildered with more questions than answers.

**-X-**

It has been over two hours the weapon expo has been going and Anderson was feeling a little stiff from his right leg. He looked beside him to find that Udina has dozed off and was snoring loudly but the show in front of them was even louder making Udina's snore unnoticeable. _'How can he even fall asleep when the whole place is so damn noisy?'_ He thought sulkily. He focused his attention to the front again as another group finished their show and tell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, next and the final one is a newly burgeoning weapon manufacturing company that made it to this expo as a last entry. Please welcome the **LETHAL WEAPON INCORPORATED!**"

And then the whole arena nearly darkened and the glass that was holding the lake water back transformed into one giant high resolution holo display.

A logo popped up on the screen. From what Anderson could describe the logo was a very interesting one as he recognized the flaming human skull with what looked to be an AK-47 and a M16 assault rifles as crossbones. Anderson thought whoever designed the logo was either very creative or very exaggerating.

***** Quiet Riot — Metal Health (Bang Your Head) *****

And the logo faded and the large displayed blacked out and then suddenly a loud music started playing. Anderson recognized the music as Human music and thought that it might be heavy metal that was once popular hundreds of years ago on Earth. It was not just the loud heavy metal music but also the arena was suddenly not so empty as a dozen or so supermodels like Asari, Human females and even Quarian females who were without their usual masks or suits entered the arena and all the female supermodels were wearing nothing but woodland camo bikinis and started dancing to the heavy metal music.

_Well I'm an axe grinder_

_Pile driver_

_Mama says_

_That I never, never mind her_

_Got no brains_

_I'm insane_

_The teacher says_

_That I'm one big pain_

Anderson also noticed that the dancing supermodels were wearing strange new weapons on them like a pistol he spotted on one of the Asari's hip, an assault rifle being cradle by the Human female, a shotgun by an unmasked Quarian and quite a few more. He also noticed that Udina was awakened by the loud music. The rest of the amphitheater was in massive awe and pandemonium as they were seeing supermodels in skimpy outfits dancing to some Human music while parading unknown weapons on their bodies.

_I'm like a laser_

_Six-string razor_

_I got a mouth_

_Like an alligator_

_I want it louder_

_More power_

_I'm gonna rock it_

'_til it strikes the hour_

The music was loud and relentless at the same. Anderson on the other hand thought it was not bad at all. Energetic, explosive and refreshing in his opinion. He could see Udina was also puzzled and it didn't help that the news crew and their camera drones were in frenzy as they tried to capture every single thing that was happening in front of them.

_Bang your head!_

_Metal health'll drive you mad_

_Bang your head!_

_Metal health'll drive you mad_

"What the hell is going on here?" Udina shouted at Anderson who just shouted back. "This is an introduction of the new weapons company and I'm liking it so far."

"WHAT?" Udina asked again in confusion but Anderson ignored him for the spectacle in front of him, half the amphitheater was starting to get into the unique introduction of the new arms manufacturer.

But the music and dancing eventually ended and the dancers exited the arena again and the lights were darkened again and this time the spotlights were pointing at the sky. For a few minutes nothing happened. That was until Anderson heard the strangely familiar noise of whirring and whooshing. The noise become louder as the source got closer and closer till the spotlights brightened even more and pointed to the source of the noise which were undiscernible until it got lower into the amphitheater than he realized that those noise belonged to a flight of choppers.

Anderson recognized those from Alliance history classes as the Vietnam War era Bell UH-1 _**Iroquois**_ utility helicopters or better known as the "_**Huey**_" helicopters. He couldn't believe his eyes as he was seeing a piece of military history came to life. Those Hueys should be in museum not flying around the Citadel. There were not one but six such historic and iconic vehicles. He didn't know how could someone have functioning ancient piece of hardware.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Anderson?" Udina asked, his expression was also of disbelief. Anderson just nodded to the Ambassador.

The people who were attending the expo was talking among each other, the conversation varied from one another as they witnessed another strange thing happened again. The flashes from the drone cameras were blinding and near constant.

The door of the helicopter then slid open and a blonde man in a retro looking formal business suit stepped out of the strange contraption. The man spotted a charming smile on his face as he took the stage.

Udina recognized the man from one of the reports he received a month or so ago. "Isn't that Albert Wesker? Yes, he is. What the hell is he doing here? Wait, is he the founder of the new company? How is that possible?" Questions were flooding Udina's mind as he saw the blonde man.

"You know that man, Udina?" Anderson asked, watching the blonde man came down the _**Huey**_, the bikini clad dancer/supermodels also returned back to the arena surrounding him in a semi-circular formation with the weapons still displayed on their voluptuous bodies.

"Yeah he is the man who has been giving trouble to me for last three months or so. The man is a C-Sec officer and I don't know how he is here starting a business of this magnitude. A C-Sec officer, Custom at that." Udina replied scathingly.

"You don't seem to like him too much, do you? You look royally pissed." Anyone who managed to piss off Udina was automatically a plus on Anderson's book.

"Like him? I loathe him to his perfect hair. That man has been nothing more than a trouble. He has the gall the cut a deal with the Executor Pallin bypassing me; the Ambassador of the Humanity to the Citadel Council, to get hired in the C-Sec's rank as a Custom agent. A month after he got the job, he caused an utter devastation to one of the docks on the Presidium, killing every armed thugs and slavers. It was huge fucking mess and the whole ordeal was on the news all day long." Udina looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"I read that on the Extranet. The mercs and slavers got caught trying to traffic slaves. I say they got what they deserved. He singlehandedly saved a lot of his officers and eliminated the criminals. I watched the footage you know. The top brass and the civilian head honchos were greatly interested in that incident. There were even talks about inducting him to the N-school when they saw him took down an Asari Huntress under five minutes without biotics or heavy weapons. That took some serious skill." Anderson stated, the blonde man in the old-fashioned formal suit starting introduction of himself and his company.

"No matter how good he is at killing and maiming. If he can't be controlled or used then he's a menace to the Humanity's reputation and the relationship between the Council." He retorted, not really surprised that Anderson would take the blonde man's side.

"How did the Council react anyway?" Anderson asked, curious of the reaction from the triumvirate.

"They were not angry which was a bit surprising. The Asari Councilor, Tevos was even praising Wesker for his decisive action and what more surprising was the Turian Councilor who defended the man's exploit." He responded, not liking that the Council did not see eye to eye with him on the situation.

Anderson didn't know about the Asari Councilor but the Turian defending a Human's action was a surprise to him. In his opinion, the Turian Councilor can be a bit biased when it came to Human matters.

"Not to mention Wesker is dating an Asari bombshell and it's sprouting some unneeded rumors. Compare to the Asari that he is dating, Wesker is a nobody and some Matriarchs on the Thessia are already voicing their displeasure." Udina added as he saw Wesker presenting a SMG-like weapon to the whole audience.

"What do you mean by the word _bombshell_? Are you saying that he is dating some Asari supermodel or celebrity?" Anderson asked for clarification.

"No but the Asari is much more than a celebrity or a supermodel. She came from a long line of prominent Asari family and when I say prominent, I'm talking on the level of founding families of the Asari Republic. Her family is extremely powerful and rich." Udina explained much to his chagrin.

"Oh! That is quite a _bombshell_ alright. There's also another thing. I heard the Alliance Intelligence conducted an investigation into Wesker's background and they found nothing whatsoever of his life. Either he was born on some backwater colony in the Terminus Systems or he was not registered on the database. Also, isn't he the same guy who sold the intuitive software for the **Mako** thruster to the Alliance? The engineering team even came to test that software in one of my ship's **Mako**." Anderson remembered how a **Mako** from his ship was used as a guinea pig and he was not pleased at all that one of his ground vehicles was out of commission but he had to admit that the ride was much smoother especially in the off-road condition with the software upgrade.

"If the spooks can't find a thing on him then I better keep an eye on the man. I have a feeling that the man will be crossing our paths." Udina glared at the blonde man in the arena who was continuing his presentation.

**-X-**

As the bikini clad dancers formed themselves around me in a semi-circle, I looked at the bewildered spectators with gaping mouths. I guessed they were shellshocked by the dancing beauties and my helicopters landing. Don't forget the heavy metal music that opened my show. Looking behind me for a second I realized that I made a good job choosing twelve supermodels for the dance. They were all females. Human, Asari and surprisingly Quarian.

The Quarian dancers were given immuno-boosters so that they could take most of their clothes off and even their masks. They were apprehensive at first with how they could easily contract an infection from even a small thing such as a sneeze. But, after the effectiveness of my brand of hastily concocted immuno-boosters were demonstrated, they were quite convinced that it could be done and also a large sum of credits usually did the trick. Not to mention that my version of immuno-boosters allowed a Quarian to live without the suit for at least 24 hours without any side effects unlike the already available stuffs which could only last for about 6 hours with minor to moderate side effects.

The rest of the supermodels were five Humans and four Asari. These chicks were actually picked and interviewed by Frost through the extranet vid cam. It was quite amusing to watch Frost asked them things that were required if they were to be the one to do the opening. Nothing must go wrong and Frost made sure of that.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, what a day to be here. My name is Albert Wesker and as many of you may know I'm new here. My business just started a while ago and it's a great honor to have a spot here in this exhibition but you are here to see what I have to show, not my life story so with that, let's get this show started." I announced, completely channeling a new personality. Instead of the usual brooding and indifferent attitude the new me was charming, energetic and even funny.

"Let's start with the current level of firearms. They have been this way for a quite sometimes. Even before the Humans emerged on the galactic stage, the level of development has been stagnating. The design, the function, even the aesthetic has been the same for decades if not centuries. Now there is change because I'm bringing the much-needed change and I'm going to show you that change today." I announced at the crowd, making sure that the entire amphitheater has their attention on me.

"First I'm gonna start with something small. The PDW. Short for Personal Defense Weapon. This type of firearm had emerged a couple of centuries ago on Earth. Though I don't know why they no longer make those."

I snatched the PDW from one of the Quarian dancers as it was strapped to her thigh. The Quarians, it turned out that their skin tones were shades of gray. The one with the PDW has the steel gray complexion. The Quarians' skin colors were quite exotic in themselves.

"Now many of you may think that the PDW is just a submachine gun but in fact it is a hybrid submachine gun and a compact assault rifle. With selective fire, high accuracy, armor-piercing capability and better heatsink capacity, this _**Pilgrim**_ Personal Defense Weapon is unrivaled in close quarter battles. Effective range of 350 meters (383 yards), 960 rounds per minute rate of fire with the muzzle velocity of 997 meters per second (3271 ft/s) the _**Pilgrim**_ can fire at least 50 shots before overheating. Despite the high rate of fire, the _**Pilgrim**_ has serious recoil management system. You can actually use one hand to fire the _**Pilgrim**_ at full auto and hit the desired targets within 50 meters. That's how powerful the recoil control is for this conceal carry weapon. Now any of you can try these after I've gone through all the weapons." I said as I handed the PDW to the Quarian.

"Next is the battle rifle. This is considered as the big brother to an assault rifle and rightly so as it can fire more mass and is designed to have extra stopping power that most rifles nowadays lack. For that, the magnetic (Gauss) coils are upgraded to compensate for the more massive ammunition. Three-round burst firing is the default selective-fire mode but it can be fired in semi-auto and full-auto modes. And the heat sink capacity is 36 shots and rate of fire is 720 rounds per minute. The _**Briar**_ battle rifle has armor-piercing phasic capability which allows the shots to bypass the kinetic barrier and still manages to deal great amount of damage to the armor."

"Let's go to something a bit different." I said as I unstrapped a missile launcher from the back of a Human dancer.

"This is the 70 mm guided dual-purpose missile launcher. The missile is first launched a few meters into the air by the magnetic coils which lined the barrel of the launcher before the missile firing its rocket engine to the target. This way a user won't have to deal with the missile's backblast and recoil. The _**Messiah**_ missile launcher is designed for taking down land and air targets and there are varieties of warheads available such as airburst, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), high-explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag), thermobaric, training/dumb and even disruptor. You only need to know that the _**Messiah**_ is a fire-and-forget missile launcher with a kill percentage of 98% with 10 km of operational range and 8 km of flight altitude."

"I've shown compact weapon platform, infantry firearm and anti-aircraft weaponry. I will now introduce you the battlefield firepower. The rotary mass accelerator which comes in seven-barrel rotating barrels that can disgorge inordinate amount of shots to mow down numerically superior enemy. Rate of fire ranging from 1500 to 7200 rounds per minute with an effective firing range of 1700 meters. This is the _**Romulus**_ rotary mass accelerator and is a death machine which can also be mounted on both vehicles and aircrafts."

Never in my life did I have to present/sell multitude of military hardwares to thousands of people who were watching at me like a hawk. Most of them were in pensive moods as they digested what I've shown to them. I bet they were already doing calculations in their heads, for what I don't know exactly but the disturbance could be felt among the crowd as one firearm after another was shown, explained and even demonstrated in some cases. A paradigm shift was beginning to form in military world and arms manufacturing conglomerates as they witnessed my hardwares being doled out one by one.

Lethal Weapon Inc's criteria for weapons were low recoil, high accuracy, little maintenance, great mobility, excellent flexibility, light weight, compact design, durable construction, robust frame and respectable firepower.

That seemed like almost all the good virtue a firearm should have but couldn't because there were always compromises. Not with Lethal Weapon, no, the company's official motto itself was: **"No Compromises!"**

It sounded quite a lofty goal to achieve but I did some number crunching and topic researching. It was not impossible and I believed that only this extreme way could get this company to become the top dog, and for the national armed forces to seriously consider choosing my company as the weapon supplier for their militaries. My newly formed company must prove to the galaxy that it would not become an obscurity that most expected it to be but a rising star on the horizon that the established legacy manufacturers would either come to respect, fear or both.

After an hour of showing the entire arsenal of my weapons, I brought out the real star of this evening, the _**Victorum**_ assault rifle. Which also got the audience to laser-focused their attention to yet another interesting looking firearm. For the Humans, weapon historians and experts they thought the latest weapon possessed the closest aesthetic similarity to that of a 21st century weapon. I detected their look of recognition on their faces when they saw the _**Victorum**_.

"This is the Mark 2181 _**Victorum**_ or just _**Victorum**_ or simply the **MK-81** assault rifle. As some might probably know that the name _**Victorum**_ is Latin for _**Conquest**_. **MK-81's** design philosophy is different from all other weapons. This assault rifle is designed to be simple, reliable, flexible, rugged and cheap."

I let the audience processed that information for a while before I continued the account of the assault rifle.

"But the most unique aspect of this weapon is its severe lack of digital/electronic components."

Confused murmurings and voices rose from the crowd as they thought they heard it incorrectly. I even heard one who shouted, "You gotta be kidding! Are you serious!?"

"Yes. You heard it right and you heard it correctly. This weapon has very little digital components and let me explain the reason for lack of such things." I confirmed, partially disassembling the **MK-81** to show its insides for the audience to see.

"Eezo or mass effect physics-based weapons or technologies in general are susceptible to EMP and electric based attacks. So, an EMP hardened, a faraday cage if you well, has been built around the eezo/mass effect field generating components. Also using less digital and more analogue (mechanical) systems to withstand cyber and electronic attacks such as micro-frame hacking and tech attacks like _Overload._ The thinking is that with no micro-computer in the weapon to hack or feed misinformation, it can't be tricked into thinking it's overheating or simply disarms itself by performing self-diagnostic procedures in the middle of the combat." I explained, getting some nods from the people.

"I also want to talk about the recoil system in particular. The recoil mitigation for the weapons that I have shown which include this weapon uses the very mass effect field itself to either reduce the recoil or completely nullify the recoil especially in firearms and even the recoil shock thus achieving full-auto accuracy that was thought to be near impossible."

"Believe me when I say the designing of the mechanical (analogue) system of this weapon was not an easy feat. Not an easy feat at all as it took hundreds of iterations and testings to get to this final variant and also to get it right. But it was worth all the effort as it performed like it was intended to. Fulfilling all the design criteria and surpassing every expectation. Effective firing range of 810 meters (point target accuracy) and 980 meters (area target accuracy). Rate of fire and muzzle velocity are 840 rounds per minute and 2212 m/s (7257 ft/s) respectively. It has heat sink capacity of 60 shots (full-auto) and 17 in (432 mm) barrel length." I concluded, holding the **MK-81** proudly.

"A wise man once said, weapons should be of war, not intimidation. I say why not both."

**-X-**

Anderson never thought that he would enjoy this day but he did as a lot of unexpected things happened almost in a row. From the dancing supermodels with heavy metal music to helicopters from bygone era flying to the expo and of course, the weapon exhibition from a cop that apparently started his own weapon company and finally the new assault rifle that quickly became controversial overnight.

Right now, he was just strolling around checking out the weapons from various vendors but the main hotspot was on the other side of the hall where the new company, Lethal Weapon Inc. was located there. He has plans to go there but that place was so packed with people who would like to try their hands on the new breed of weapons that some might get stampeded by the huge crowd.

Loitering around the area he was surprised to meet the man behind the new company.

Albert Wesker greeted him and he in return did the same. They asked each other of their thoughts on the Weap-Con and Wesker was quick to deduce that Anderson was waiting for a chance to try out the weapons.

So Wesker let the Alliance Captain privilege access, and said Captain was glad as he saw the queue line at least a hundred meters long when he reached the weapon testing range. He also noticed that the supermodels were still there entertaining the crowd with the weapons that were adorned on their provocative bodies even drawing more crowd.

When he saw the rows of weapon, he suddenly felt like a kid in a toy store. He tested almost everything from the _**Tombstone**_ tactical light pistol to the _**Sicario**_ sniper rifle. Everything except the anti-tank recoilless rifle and other explosive weapons. Anderson was genuinely impressed by the arsenal of weapons. It was like concept weapons except they were being sold in a week or two to the public, the security firms, the police organizations and so on.

Anderson felt satisfied when he finished second round of test firing weapons and to his excitement, the blonde man offered a ride aboard the _**Huey**_ helicopter and how could he say no to that.

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the air sharing cigars and blasting CCR's _Fortunate Son _and_ Run Through the Jungle_. The chopper was piloted by none other than Albert Wesker. Anderson was seriously impressed by the man. They mostly talked about the Alliance, Humanity in general, the Council politics and the general stuffs that guys used to talk about. The ride was quite a thrilling experience for Anderson as the chopper was only 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) above the Ward's surface since the Ward atmosphere limit was just 7 meters so the choppers couldn't climb any higher without losing air pressure and crash landing to the surface.

They rode around the Ward for about an hour causing minor chaos along the way but it was definitely a great time. Anderson thanked the man for the good show, good testing and good ride. To his surprise, he was presented with a gift and when he opened it his heart nearly stopped as he found a pair of M1911 pistols in good condition. He couldn't thank the man enough and so he gave his contact info and to ask for anything that he could fulfil within his ability.

After that the Alliance Captain returned back to his hotel and thought to himself that this might be one of the best days of his life.

**X-X-X**

The Lethal Weapon Inc's first appearance on the Weap-Con event was overall a great success. I couldn't have done it any better. The setting, the opening, the execution, the music, the dancing supermodels and the choppers. Everything was carried out as I planned it to be for the evening. The news programs, the reality shows, the weapon commentators/reviewers and others, they couldn't get enough of my segment. The hype, the attention and of course, the controversy of flying the _**Hueys**_ on the Ward, not to mention the unmasked, mostly naked Quarian dancers. The civilized galaxy was in shock. The news articles were quite spicy as they quickly picked on my slice of performance and trying to act like they were the ultimate moral authority. One article even read like this – _**Unknown**__**Antiquated Flying Craft Terrorizes Kithoi Residents on The Citadel Station**__!_

Another article was even more ridiculous as it went like this —

_**Inappropriate Adult Theme Opening of One of The Weap-Con Participant Unsuitable for Children**_

Why would kids below thirteen be interested in weapon show even if it was shown on the TV.

The Weap-Con was trending on the social media and video sharing extranet sites as pictures and videos of the choppers landing and dancing supermodels were getting shared, liked and viewed in hundreds of millions if not billions within a day.

The pre order for my weapons has steadily climbed in three days. The _**Pilgrim**_ PDW was in particular was quite a hit with the private security forces and bodyguards. I even suspected that one of the companies buying the PDW was none other than a dummy corporation set up by the Salarian STG. They sure knew what to pick and they picked correctly as the STG operatives were all about stealth and concealment so compact and light weight weapon like _**Pilgrim**_ that packed a punch and penetrate armor was a godsend to their agents. Heavy and firepower-oriented weapons were talking point among the Turians and Krogans as they showed great interest in _**Catharsis**_ single barrel mass accelerator and _**Romulus**_ rotary mass accelerator respectively. The Humans on the hand were juggling their interests between _**Grendel**_ grenade launcher, _**Leone**_ light machine gun and _**Deadshot**_ designated marksman rifle. The Asari were more interested in _**Stoner**_ submachine gun and _**Trinity**_ tactical shotgun. Surprisingly there were also the Drells interest, specifically into the _**Courier**_ carbine and _**Heracles**_ heavy pistol. The Elcors with their huge frame were especially interested in _**Raptor**_ anti-tank recoilless rifle and _**Hannibal**_ heavy mass accelerator as they didn't use small firearms instead, they would mount weapons on their bodies that others would mostly put on a vehicle.

All in all, most pre orders and purchases were from non state actors, not governments but with the promise of delivering the weapons on the first week of next month plenty of weapons were ordered. The projected earning was nearly two billion credits and rising indefinitely. The production lines on the _Bekenstein_ were already churning out crates of weapons every day. It was certainly a great day for me and for the newly founded company.

As they say, **"War is Business and Business is Good."**

**-X-**

Me and Sarin were eating our dinner at home in relative peace as I dug through my Asari takeout meal. It was Sarin's idea and I went along seeing no harm in trying out the _Thessian_ fish and seafoods. At the moment, she was occasionally peeking at my way nervously. She barely touched her food and kept sipping from her wine glass which was about to be emptied. Her hands were clutching the hem of her T-shirt which was actually mine as she just put it on after our romp in the living room an hour ago.

I continued enjoying my steamed fish dipped in oyster sauce which was making her even more restless as she emptied the rest of the wine in one gulp. I let her like that for a few more minutes but she couldn't take it anymore and blurted, "I'M SORRY! OK! And can you please stop ignoring me? Talk to me, Albert. Please. I can explain everything and I will. Just say something."

"Alright. Then explain." I spoke softly in her direction seeing her half relieved and half resigned expression. After our unexpected and hormonal sex on the living room couch, she got up to bring some drinks for us to enjoy. The doorbell rung at the moment and I left to check the door. When I opened it there was an envelope, a fancy one at that which was put into the delivery box. I took it out and read it which turned out to be an invitation to the **Asari Republic Decennial Assembly** for Sarin which would take place just three days after Christmas.

Except Sarin's last name was not Geneviève but instead T'Aeris and that was when she came up beside me and safe to say, she freaked out when she saw what I was holding in my hand. I could have sworn her soul nearly jumped out of her body and all the color on her cheeks were gone with the wind as she tried to explain and fail. She couldn't deny that the invitation was not for her as her face was on the card. In the end I just said we would talk about it later and she took the task of ordering the takeout.

And now here we were, back in the living room where we had a steamy sex not one hour ago.

"Ok, my name is not Sarin Geneviève. It's Sarin T'Aeris and I'm not some ordinary Asari Maiden on her adventure. I'm a Maiden and on adventure but it's just that my family is one of the most powerful and influential families on _Thessia_ and Asari Republic in general. I'm the heir of the family business which is the banking service of the Republic. Since I don't want any attention whether it's good or bad, I decided to change my last name every time I moved to another place. Not because I don't trust you or anything."

It didn't sound surprising to me at all. The name _Geneviève_ was not Asari name and she was born way before contact with the System Alliance so there was no way for an Asari to have last human-sounding name. But I've to give credit for her naming sense as the name _Geneviève_ meant the "Woman of the race".

But I had already known her true identity since the beginning of our relationship. When Sarin started showing interest in me, I looked into her background, her life in general, her Extranet history and so on to determine her true intention. When the result came back, it sent me into a state of dilemma but I responded to her advances anyway. Because I had an ulterior motive and saw an opportunity that was presented to me. And I took it.

A few weeks after the arrival to this new universe, Frost and I ran a financial modeling for our startup businesses and projects and even with the worms taking money from the criminals and unsavory characters we would never have enough money, or more precisely not quick enough to replenish the expanses that would accumulate when we went all in with the businesses. If we upped the worms and cyber robbing we would be noticed and we didn't need any attention drawn to us. To get shipload of credits legally and quickly would be loaning from a bank and that was where Sarin came into equation.

The truth was that the T'Aeris family was like the Asari version of the Rothschild. More like the Rothschild family was the Human version of the T'Aeris as the T'Aeris family was one of the most influential and wealthy household names and they played pivotal roles in the Asari Republics' banking sector when the Asari became a spacefaring civilization which was nearly three millenniums ago so they were quite old yet crucial for the continuity and welfare of Republics' economy. A powerful family which has many fingers in the galactic pie.

I remembered my own shock when I proceeded with the plan to court her for that motive. I was scared of my own cold and calculating ruthlessness that I exhibited right there and then. I saw my face in the mirror laughing and grinning maniacally at me whenever I went near a mirror or any reflective surface.

"So, will you forgive me? Please? At least don't be mad at me." Sarin pleaded with her doe eyes.

"I kind of suspected in the beginning," I lied, trying act like a puzzled boyfriend but it worked as she smiled a bit. "I was not sure but things happened right."

She nodded her head vigorously to my assessment.

"You know, I can bring a plus one to the Assembly. So, will you go with me to the event?" She asked, the tension and worry on her vanished completely, replaced by mirth and mischievous smile.

I nodded and she hoorayed as she jumped and straddled my lap proceeding to kiss my lips and tousle with my tongue.

Of course, I was going. Imagine the important people and connections that I could make and befriend. Money, tech prowess and looks were not enough. I needed powerful allies and friends to climb higher and faster.

**-X-**

_**Athena**_** Nebula/**_**Parnitha**_** System/**_**Thessia**_**/**_**Armali**_** City**

Apex of Democracy. Beating heart of galactic love. Crown jewel of the galaxy. Those were the characterizations that the Asari homeworld, _Thessia_ has been called.

The last one was not incorrect as the Asari Republic has the single largest GDP per capita as they greatly imported _Thessia_'s vast reserves of element zero. Also, the technological edge that the Asari just pulled it out of their blue asses.

Bunch of hypocrites in my opinion since they were the one to enact laws regarding to sharing of Prothean tech and Prothean-related artifacts such as data caches, beacons, trinkets and such. I could easily bring down the prosperous Asari economy and status by introducing varieties of non-eezo tech and easier/cheaper access to the almighty eezo that the whole galaxy sucked like a crack whore on a dick.

The only reason was that the Reapers were just around the corner. That didn't mean I'm not going to raid the Temple of Athame where the Prothean VI was housed. Sharing was caring after all.

Contrary to popular belief, the Asari were not wholly united. They were made up of individual republics instead of a single government. But they have a remarkably low incidence of war, disease, violent crime or famine and also free of internal or external wars with their republics.

They had been enjoying stable economy and bountiful lives. So much so that they didn't realize that they were stagnating. Their long dominance of culture and politic among other species made them arrogant and complacent.

Their masterful ambassadorial ventures assured them that any problems could be solved with their diplomatic prowess. Not with the Reaper though. When the diplomacy fails, their republics' militaries fares no better as the political structure of their homeworld was unfocused. Unwilling to commit to full action, fire will start right under their asses when the Reapers inevitably come for them.

Regardless of their pacifistic appearance in general, they too have their own agenda for the galaxy. Their subtle and patient plan for cultural assimilation and _soft _dominance of all species with economy, culture and demographic replacement. And it has been going on since they encountered the Salarians.

Unlike the Salarians, they were more reactive than proactive. But if you really want the Asari to get off their asses then threaten their status or superiority.

Most Asari pretended like they didn't cause any problems to the galaxy. There were a lot of stupid things that Asari did in the past but no one corrected them because they wanted to fuck them.

And here I stood, looking at the _Armali_ city skyline. Sarin was meeting up with her friends and colleagues so I left her alone so that she could spend some time with her peers. We arrived to Thessia a few days ago as hotel booking this time of the year was nigh impossible so we opted to go there earlier and Sarin insisted on touring me around the planet.

We visited a lot of places and even the Temple of Athame which I took the chance to scout the entrances, exits, chokepoints, corridors, structure weaknesses and a bunch of vantage points that might be useful later. It was a very productive and enlightening trip for me. Sarin thought I enjoyed the visit. In a way, I was. She just didn't know what for.

The Assembly started this morning. The thing was they only made these once every ten years when all the republics would gather here in this city to discuss the welfare of the Asari Republic. This was where they debate their asses off and they sure could debate someone to death. I was starting think that that might be their overall tactic, try to bore their oppositions or adversaries to death with their endless talks and charades.

I was given special access to the Assembly chamber because of Sarin and I learnt a few important details and made some observations of their inner workings and relations of them.

They were most of the time passive aggressive to each other under the thin veneer of politeness and formality. They were also good at holding grudges and pretty unassuming in their acts when they were jealous towards one another. While their arguments and disagreements never evolved into physical confrontations, they would employ bitchy tactics like humiliation and degradation to get back at each other.

With the entire day occupied with their debates and bureaucracies they only ended when the local star, _Parnitha_ set over the horizon.

The dinner party would start in two hours and I was dressed in black suit and a distinctive red bow tie. Wearing a bow tie meant that I have an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think of me and red color was to convey dominance, reaffirmation of strength and authority. Impressions mattered greatly in these situations and events. And I also have a business with a certain Matriarch later.

"Looking good. Turn around for me will ya?" Ja'daha Lerev, one of Sarin's colleagues who was too touchy for my liking slurred. She has been eyeing me since Sarin introduced me to her. Pretty vulgar and drunk too with an ever-present glass of liquor in her hand.

"Ja'da, leave him alone and you have been drinking a lot even before the dinner." Sarin chastised.

"I can handle my shit Sarin. And your boyfriend is too tasty to leave him alone. I could eat him." She walked closer to me again and stumbled right at my feet but I instinctively caught her which she used that chance to give my neck a hickey stained with purple lipstick.

"JA'DA!" Sarin shouted in disbelief as she pulled away her drunk friend from my hands.

"I'm sorry for her. Ja'da has always been like that." Another friend of Sarin, a shy looking Asari named Ril'lisy V'Naze apologized instead.

"You don't have to say anything for her." I replied, rubbing the lipstick stain of my neck.

The clock ticked slowly for the dinner party and Ja'daha returned later after she threw up in the bathroom. We proceeded to the place where the party would be hosted with haste.

Dinner affair was quite grand as many prominent figures from Asari society and other foreign dignitaries were present. The foods, the drinks, the overall atmosphere and the reception were meant to relax the guests. I noticed politicians, corporate CEOs, military officers and even celebrities who were busy doing backroom deals, gossips, discussions and so on amongst them.

Me being there didn't escape their notice either as I would catch pieces of gossips from my emergence to the dating of the one of the most powerful families' daughters. It was a perfectly blended chaos where things were kept relatively civilized.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw an Asari with a facial marking that I was familiar with. The Asari was no other than Valora Tevos, the Asari Councilor of the Citadel Council. She was alone on the balcony holding a flute of champagne. The thing about being one of most powerful Asari in the galaxy was that a lot of people either wanted what you can give to you or kill you in the worst possible way. Though I was sure her bodyguards in the form of two SpecTRes were somewhere near her. One was watching like a hawk from the second floor, another was ten meters away from the left corner looking at the Asari Councilor unerringly, ready to jump into action when things went south.

So, I approached the Councilor slowly and in a non-threatening way possible. The Councilor saw me from her peripheral vision as she turned her body halfway to my direction.

"What can I help you with? Mister?" Tevos asked, cradling her champagne flute.

"Wesker. Albert Wesker, Madam Councilor."

"Oh. Oh, ohhh. You're the one who fought the mercs and slavers on the docks." She questioned, caught a bit off-guarded by my introduction.

"That would be me Councilor. The one and only." I replied.

"Thank you for your service then Mr. Wesker. I read the report that you were just Custom when you dispatch those mercenaries."

"You don't have to thank me for doing my duty. And yes, I was just a Custom."

"Oh no, don't take it the wrong way. I was just pointing out that you managed to accomplish the near impossible despite the rank."

"I understand Councilor and don't think of it in anyway."

"Well you are certainly understanding. Not like those sharks that I have to deal with every day. They are always waiting for me to make a mistake and try to capitalize on that. Once they smell the blood, they are relentless and unforgiving. It's pretty tiresome to be on guard all the time. I'm quite thankful for speaking with an understanding person and not some politicians who would gladly stab me in the back." She confessed which she realized a second later as she tried to amend that.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't unload my baggage to another person. That was unfair of me. It just too stressful sometimes you know. I don't know what to do anymore." She said, frustration visibly welling up inside as she set the empty flute on the handrail of the balcony, her head wilting and both her hands leaning on the rail for support.

I gently touched her shoulder, rubbing it gently as I put my other hand to bring her closer which she let it and I slowly put her head on the crook of my neck making her lean on me for support.

We stayed like that for a few minutes before she let me escort her to her room which was just across the courtyard where the hotel was. On our way, I spotted another familiar Asari, Matriarch Benezia and her cohorts with one Shiala, most recognizable amongst them. They were talking with a group of Humans and when Benezia saw me, she looked at me knowingly. The Human group on the other hand was puzzled and quite astonished that I was walking hand in hand with the Asari Councilor. Of course, the SpecTRes, followed us from behind, making sure to keep an eye on me at all times.

Once we reached her room, she dismissed the SpecTRes despite protests from them. So, they retreated from the front of her door but not the level of the building.

**Smut Alert!**

As we crossed the threshold of the room, she turned around and kissed me hungrily, her hands and mine everywhere as we felt each other bodies. We kissed and moved until we hit her bed where she tried to take off her complicated dress but I ripped it off with force which stunned her a bit but she returned back to kissing as she unbuttoned my suit and unzipped my trousers.

I laid her down on the bed and started kissing her from her throat, her collar bone, her graceful pair of breasts which she enjoyed my treatment then her slim stomach and finally her azure. She cried out loud as I worked my magic on her most sacred part.

Focusing mainly on her clit and using two of my fingers to dip inside her wet heat. The lower part of her body was shaking and her fingers were clutching the bedsheet tightly enduring the ministrations of my tongue.

Her eyes were tight shut and she was on the brink of pleasure and ecstasy as her inner muscles were squeezing the intruding fingers as if they were real deal. It didn't take too long as she just couldn't take it anymore as the climax rocked her to the core spilling out her cum like she hadn't had a good fucking for years which might probably be true with all her busy scheduling.

I wasn't done in any way so I kicked off my shoes and any clothes that was left on me. It seemed that she was also ready and I laid down on the bed and she straddled my hips, stroking my cock a few times before she used her recent climax to slowly slide down on my cock.

Her pussy was tight as fuck and her walls were rippling around my cock then my cock was ball deep insider her letting her adjust for a second.

Then she started moving, my hands on her hips to stabilize her body as she started riding my cock. My hands shifted from the hips to her curvaceous ass and began squeezing and pushing it down on my rock-hard cock.

"Yes, don't stop. Keep fucking me." Tevos moaned into my ear while I kept pumping her tight pussy like a piston and taking one of her tits in my mouth and laving her with my tongue which made her moan even louder as I kept sucking on it and changing from one tit to another.

With a sudden move, I sat up and hugged her body that collided to me and I carried her to the edge of the bed where she could spread her folded kneels on the side of my hips.

Once the position was achieved, I started thrusting up to her instead of letting her bounce on my cock. This way it was more effective and I could angle my cock at her sensitive spots. It only took her a few thrust before I hit the spots as her body shook noticeably and she immediately grabbed my neck for support. It was not a one-time deal as I fucked her like that way, making her shake and tremble.

She couldn't take it anymore after about ten minutes of my cock repeatedly bumping her erogenous spot and she gripped my cock and started cumming for a second time.

I laid her on her stomach and my hips hovered above her ass with the legs providing support and then I carefully plunged my cock into her sopping wet pussy which she responded by moaning into her pillow. For a few minutes, it was nothing more than a languish pace and then I began pumping hard. Her ass jiggling as my downward thrust sped up and ploughed her deep like a pile driver, the position allowing deeper penetration into her pussy.

With her cervix being plowed and she couldn't help it as she bit into the back of her hand to stifle her scream. I slowed down my thrust to instead opting for long strokes with more force knowing that I was getting close. With another forceful thrust, my balls started draining into the Asari's pussy which set off her climax for the third time as her muffled cry of pleasure escaped her mouth. Before I finished depositing the entire load, I pulled out of her gripping pussy to spray the rest of the cum over her bubbly ass and her shoulder blades, making her squirm as hot cum splashed over her purple skin. And I laid gently over her, recuperating from the exhaustion.

**Smut Over!**

"What will happen to us now?" Tevos asked as I put on my suit and tied my shoelaces while sitting on the edge of the bed with my back facing her.

"I don't know. What do you want us to happen?" I asked back, readjusting the bow tie.

"I don't know. What about Sarin T'Aeris that you are dating currently?" She asked not bothering to cover her naked body with anything.

"She has her own family business to take care. I don't think she can stay with me any longer even if she wants to." I replied, looking back at the Asari.

"Then I will see you back on the Citadel. Discreetly of course." She returned back casting a sultry smile on her face.

With a nod I exited her room to return back to my place. I arrived to my room five minutes later and Sarin was still not there so I just sat down on a couch with a glass of scotch in my hand. She returned back while I was about to finish the last sip of the delicious scotch.

"Albert, where were you? I couldn't find you anyway. Never mind. My mother wants to meet you. She is curious about you. Let's go meet her before she has to return to her duties." Sarin said and I nodded, following her from behind.

We didn't have to go far as we were meeting with her mother in a nearby restaurant. I noticed an Asari with the same complexion as Sarin but lighter sitting in the corner of the room.

"Albert, I want you to meet my mother, Matriarch Raveka T'Aeris, head of the Republic of Asari Union Bank." The Matriarch bowed her head slightly as an acknowledgement.

"Matriarch, Albert Wesker. Founder and CEO of Final Frontier Enterprise and Lethal Weapon Inc. Also, he's a C-Sec Enforcer." Sarin continued her introduction.

I bowed my head in respect knowing what kind of person was sitting in front of me.

"It's a pleasant night to meet a Matriarch and please call me Albert." I said, shocking the Asari Matriarch.

"You speak _Thessian High_. How?" The Matriarch asked, astonished that the Human spoke to her in native Asari language. Sarin just smiled at her mother, clearly amused of her reaction.

"He has been speaking Thessian High to any Asari and he learnt it while he was young." Sarin explained.

"How old are you Albert if you don't mind me asking of course?"

"I don't mind at all, Matriarch."

"I'm 49 this year." Technically I was 220 years old in chronological age since this body was born back in 1960.

"But you don't look a day over thirty human years. And if you are 49 years old then you were born 26 years before The First Contact War."

"Yes. That would be correct."

We talked to each other for about half an hour before we indulged ourselves in light dinners and drinks.

"What do you have in your mind, Albert? I noticed that you were in deep thought when we were eating." The Matriarch asked, dabbing her mouth with her handkerchief.

"I've started my businesses recently as you know and the two are just the beginning. I've a lot more to start and I don't have enough financial support for them. At least for now." I started.

"Why don't you wait for net profit and steady flow of income from your two businesses before you start anymore?" Matriarch Raveka asked, which was a valid question.

"Normally, that would be right but I'm starting them within a few months each. I've my reasons but the opportunity for those must be grasped quickly so I can't wait for decades to make them a reality." I replied.

The Matriarch went quiet for a minute or two, clearly thinking on my statement. Then she spoke, "If you believe that it must be done immediately then I will give you a financial loan."

"What is the current interest rate then?" I asked, pleased that the Matriarch caught my drift.

"No. No interest rate." The Matriarch replied, the alarm bells started ringing in my head. Sarin was also surprised as her eyes widened.

"Yes. No return interest and not even the original loan itself." Matriarch continued.

"What? I don't understand, you are giving him free." Sarin asked disbelievingly.

"No. There is a catch, isn't it?" I asked the Matriarch.

The Matriarch nodded, knowing the Human would catch on. "Any business that is started with the loan credits. I want 15% ownership or equivalent amount in stock shares under T'Aeris family name."

I expected a number of strings and even one-sided deals but the presented deal was quite unexpected. The only thing left was if I could live with this deal, "I accept."

"How much would you like to ask for loan?"

"Half a trillion credits, 500 billion credits transferred to my account. I also want your words in a written and binding contract."

"Consider it done. And nice doing business with you."

"To you too."

With that done, we just made history in a corner of a restaurant, all the while Sarin was looking back and forth between me and her mother like we've gone mad which might be as well as we just sealed a very late year deal that involved hundreds of billions within three minutes.

I wonder how the news media and financial commentators would react to this. Well they could suck on my five hundred billion credits for all I care.

**-X-**

With the business concluded with the Matriarch, Sarin and I returned back to our room and slept until the morning arrived.

She and I both knew what was going to happen next so we said farewell the next morning, and wished each other luck with a promise that we would meet again in the future. And then she departed, which left me alone.

Just as I was also about to leave the room, I saw one of Sarin's friend, Ril'lisy V'Naze approaching me and before I could utter a word I was immobilized, telltale biotic sheen covering my entire being. Two more Asari appeared from my periphery and I recognized Ja'daha Lerev and one other unknown Asari.

The _Stasis_ field evaporated and I felt a blunt force trauma to the back of my head which knocked me down. The last thing I remembered was three Asari looking down on me with loathsome eyes and I knew no more.


	7. 06: This Time Next Year

**Mass Effect & Resident Evil are the properties of Bioware and Capcom respectively. I do not own them. All rights go towards them.**

**Chapter 6: This Time Next Year**

**(2181, Jan ****–**** Mar)**

My consciousness was slowly aroused by the whispering and murmuring of voices around me. I tried to focus on one voice at a time and it became clearer till I heard a few people speaking to themselves.

"What are we going to do with him now that we have nabbed him?" One person asked.

"We have some fun with him of course. Ask some questions and do some dirty works on his pretty face." Another replied, the person's voice somewhat familiar to me.

"I say I finish him myself and dump his body in an incinerator." Third person suggested in a cold manner.

'_**+BOSS, THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE AWAKE. I HAD TO JOLT YOU UP WITH THE NANITES. THE PERPETRATORS INJECTED YOU WITH SOME POWERFUL COCKTAIL OF TRANQUILLIZERS. GOOD THING THE PROTOTYPE VIRUS STAVED OFF THE WORST EFFECTS AND THE NANITES DID THE REST BY COMPLETLEY NEUTRALIZING AND FLUSHING OUT THE REST+'**_

'_What's the situation? Who snatched my ass?'_

'_**+I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE ANSWER TOO LONG+'**_

Before I could ask for further elaboration, the door to the sterile room where I was tied up opened and three Asari that I saw before I was knocked out entered.

Two of the Asari being Sarin's friends/colleagues. The shy Asari whose name was Ril'lisy V'Naze, the drunk one whose was Ja'daha Lerev and the last Asari who was an unknown.

I looked around the room and quickly deduced that I was probably in a freezer room as I could see my breath in front me.

"So, you are finally awake. Good, we have a lot of things to say to you." Ja'daha spoke up, approaching in front of me with a heavy pistol in her hand.

"Whatever you are selling, I'm not interested." I said, looking in her eyes with casual apathy.

"You will be interested in this." She responded by striking my face with a mean right hook.

"And this. Another this. One more this." She proceeded to punch left and right relentlessly.

'_**+BOSS, WHY ARE YOU NOT RETALIATING? YOU CAN EASILY GET RID OF THE RESTRAINTS WITH YOUR INHERENT STRENGTH ALONE+'**_

'_I will once I know their reason for this. I don't want to kill them before I gain some useful intel. Don't worry I'm not feeling anything. Just make sure my healing ability don't interfere for now. I need to get to the bottom of this.'_

'_**+AS YOU WISH, SIR BUT IF THINGS GET OUT OF CONTROL, I WILL BE INTERVENING ON YOUR BEHALF+'**_

'_I never doubt that you won't, Frost.'_

"ENOUGH! Ja'da. You are killing him before we are done with him." The shy Asari, Ril'lisy V'Naze shouted, stopping the Asari that was ruining my pretty face.

Ril'lisy spoke again, this time directed at me, "A few months ago you killed, no, murdered one of our sisters. You put down her like an animal, stripping her of honor and dignity. Do you remember her, Human?"

"You know when we realized that our dear old friend's boyfriend is the same as the one who killed our sister. We thought that the Goddess Athame had granted us a chance to avenge our sister."

It was not hard for me to remember the number of Asari that I had killed since I arrived to this universe as they could be counted on one hand. The most likely one they were referring to would be the Eclipse merc that I killed on the dock incident where I splattered all her brains on the platform.

I looked at them and replied, "Oh, I remember her alright. She fought well if she actually landed a hit on me though. Your Asari commandos or Huntresses or whatever you call yourself are just pathetic. You want to know her last moment before your dear sister died. She died with shame and defeat pleading me to spare her pathetic life.

She. Died. Like. A. Little. Bitch!" I snarled the last words and the looks on all three Asari were apoplectic as another bout of physical assaults began. The shy Asari used her biotic enhanced strength to stomp on my leg breaking my left tibia bone. The jagged bone protruding through the skin resulting a grisly scene.

I tried to muffle my pain but suddenly the pain receptors in the injured area was dialed down considerably.

'_No healing, no yet.'_

I could feel Frost's agitation concerning my condition.

"Impressive, he didn't even make a sound." The quiet Asari finally broke her silence as she observed me like an interesting specimen.

"What kind of freak are you?" Ja'daha asked, clearly disturbed by my lack of response to the tibia fracture.

"No matter. You will not die easily or painlessly. That's why she's here." Ril'lisy nodded her head towards the quiet Asari.

"A little warning though. She's not your normal Asari." Ril'lisy said. "She's an Ardat-Yakshi if you must know. Well at least you will die with a smile on your face."

That did it for me. Time to get the fuck out of here. _'Time to heal my bone, Frost. FAST!'_

"Any last words. Perhaps you would like to beg for your life. I'm willing to humor your request." Ja'daha edged into my personal space, planting her hands on my laps and kneeling just above my broken tibia which would have been excruciatingly painful if my pain receptors were not shut down.

"Maybe you would think twice before you badmouth your better." She whispered into my ears which was my chance to rip apart the polymer restraint that was tied to my hands and double ear slapped her, rupturing both of her eardrums. While she was discombobulated, I lunged for her throat using all of my jaw strength and I ripped out her throat to the point where her head was nearly hanging loose from her shoulder with purple blood splashing on the walls and ceilings while I went feral on her dead corpse. When I looked up, the two other Asari were stunned into disbelief considering that my slitted eyes were flashing red like a vengeful demon.

Taking advantage of their distracted state, I _**Flash Step**_ to the shy Asari and performed a high-speed hand chop strike to her neck which lobbed her head off from her shoulder. The result was unexpectedly gruesome because no matter how fast my hand was, the decapitation results were gory as her spine was forcefully ripped out from the rest of her body. The thick purple blood soaking the sterile freezer room much more.

The third Asari, the Ardat-Yakshi was prepared for me after she pushed aside the thought of her friends' gruesome deaths. Her eyes filled with hatred and disgust while her biotic erupted in full force.

Too bad I couldn't kill her outright. Since she was an Ardat-Yakshi, I've an obligation to study the genetic anomaly that she represented. That didn't mean I couldn't fuck her up though.

'_Frost, I think I'm gonna need a little help here. Accelerate my reflex and perception with the nanites. I will have to dodge her attacks and keep up with her freakish biotics.'_

'_**+INCREASING YOUR REFLEX BY 5% AND YOUR PERCEPTION BY 10%+'**_

Just as Frost finished, the Ardat-Yakshi began her offensive with _**Charge**_, a technique where she used her biotics to augment her speed and strength similar to my _**Flash Step**_. I too countered her by dashing toward her and matching her moves. As my perception and reflex were increased, I could see her blurry movements and predict her next moves.

Both me and the Ardat-Yakshi tried to one up each other. Her bluish-purple blur and my black blur circling around each other like a whirlwind. Seeing that we were both locked in a tie. I went for three-dimensional tactic when I dashed along the wall and stuck on the ceiling. The Ardat-Yakshi suddenly stopped her _**Charge**_, seeing that her opponent was missing.

"You know if you hadn't brutally slaughtered my friends, I would have asked you to join with me. I don't know what you are. I don't know if Humans have their own version of Ardat-Yakshi but you are definitely similar to me. You don't even need biotics to fight me. You can fight but you will not win. COME OUT AND LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH!" She yelled the last sentence.

I readily obliged her, simultaneously jumping down from behind her and performing a suplex which she deftly reversed it back to me by throwing me around with my own strength. I landed on one knee, a bit miffed that she used my own tactic to her advantage but seeing that she too has to recover from my attempted suplex on her I dashed again to her side and started a combo of reverse kick, high kick, front kick, knee strike and finally double heel drop. The exact combo that Sheva used on me in the TriCell hangar bay.

After the combo was executed, she was wobbling on her knees so I went in to neutralize her. With the _**Rhino Charge**_, I thrusted my hand through her back, squashing one of her lungs but it was not the final destination as my hand reached her beating heart. The heart pulsing wildly in my hand and she immediately went into cardiac arrest.

"Desist or I will crush your heart like a pulp." I growled into her ear, squeezing the heart a bit to show her how serious I was.

She acquiesced by putting her hands up in surrender so I spun her around and knocked her out with a _**Hammer Blow**_ to her face.

I checked my leg's condition which had mostly finished repairing. Looking around the room, I saw blood and carnage everywhere so I unleashed my nanites to get rid of anything that could point me and the Ardat-Yakshi from the scene. Both physical and digital evidence were wiped off fifteen minutes later.

I prepared to take the Ardat-Yakshi in a freezer box from the room like a makeshift cryo tube and temporarily injected the body with a small amount of nanites so that it could act as a life support system and also the freezer was sealed tight with them acting as an adhesive agent. I returned back to the hotel and checked out from the room later that evening.

I booked a ticket back to the _Serpent_ Nebula aboard a cargo freighter since I have a special specimen to bring along. The freighter arrived six hours later to the _Widow_ system where I have one of my Ravens to fetch me and my cargo.

The gruesome murder was discovered a couple of days later and that violent crime became one of the most notorious and mysterious cases on recent Thessian history involving two Asari Huntresses as victims and I was pretty sure that for years to come, the Thessian crime scene investigation team would have a hard time ahead of them in trying to figure out who was responsible for the bloodbath without the sufficient amount of evidence to come to a conclusion.

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/Presidium**

_**Ethereal Cloud**_** Penthouse Suite**

"How's the latency and bandwidth? Any lagging, or limitations on the processors." I asked the person sitting on the edge of the medical diagnostic bed.

Said person stilled for a few seconds likely performing self-diagnostic procedures on the aforementioned components. Then the person moved again signaling that the checking has been completed.

"Only in nano seconds. Not much but I can compensate through other means." Replied the person.

"You will need to work on your movements and behaviors. Your body gestures are too robotic, like when you were doing diagnostics on yourself." I advised.

The person in front of me looked like any other organic Human being except said Human female has aluminium-scandium alloy as her endoskeleton, carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber as her muscles, dual-hemisphere nano-biological processors as her brain in the inertia shock damping head and mimetic biopolymer skin covering her entire body which made her pretty undistinguishable from any other Human females. In fact, the mimetic skin would allow shapeshifting to some degrees such as changing color, feature and size.

The body type was quite hard to classify as it was not exactly a cyborg but not a complete android either. But let's just say it was an advanced android body for the sake of simplicity.

"So, what's our next move, sir?" The person asked, tracing her finger on her other arm.

"Frost, after you get used to your body, you will travel to _Caleston Rift _cluster, _Aysur_ system where you will land on the Mahavid asteroid in the Nahata Belt. Your primary objective is to learn about the T-GES Mineral Works and the extent of enthrallment on its inhabitants. After the primary objective has accomplished, you will find a way to take over the company. The facility's personnel have been held by the Leviathan since 2176. So, you will actually be doing them a favor." I ordered, getting nods and occasional eye blinks in return.

"Yes, sir. Is there anything more to add?" Frost asked, standing up from the med-diagnostic bed, her mimetic skin shifting from the hospital gown to her trademark silver-white outfit but without the usual cape.

"The information on the Leviathan enthrallment and securing of the Leviathan artifact are the number one priority, the hostile takeover of the company and saving its personnel are second and close third. If the personnel get violent then you are free to use your weapons. Defend yourself and don't let the mission get compromised." I reminded Frost of the mission priorities.

"Yes, sir. Guess, I will be going then." She replied leaving the lab briskly.

After she has left my lab, I returned back to my current task of designing the G.I.U. (General Infantry Unit).

'_You think your fragment will be fine for the next couple of weeks?'_

'_**+I'M PRETTY SURE MY COPY CAN HANDLE HERSELF EVEN THOUGH SHE IS NOT THE ORIGINAL. ASIDE FROM BEING A FRAGMENT AND NOT THE WHOLE I DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE ANY PROBLEM IN ACCOMPLISHING HER MISSION+'**_

'_I'll take your words for that. Once the data on enthrallment signal and acquisition of the company is done, we can make some head start on the Reaper indoctrination. While they are not the same, the Leviathan enthrallment and Reaper indoctrination have similar functions which is to influence organic minds.'_

'_**+THAT'S TRUE. WE HAVE ALREADY PUT CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF BOUNTY ON THE REAPER ARTIFACTS SO IT WILL BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE WE GET SOME RESULTS ON THAT FRONT TOO+'**_

'_What about our new business? What's the progress on that aspect?'_

'_**+WE DID OUR RESEARCH, MADE MULTIPLE PLANS, PLANNED OUR FINANCES, CHOSE A BUSINESS STRUCTURE, REGISTERED OUR BUSINESS NAME AND CHOSE OUR ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. WE ONLY HAVE TO WAIT FOR LICENSES AND PERMITS. ALSO, TO PICK OUR BUSINESS LOCATION WHICH CAN BE DONE BEFORE WE GET THE PERMISSION+'**_

'_Office and headquarter for the Next Generation Technology Corporation or X-Gen Tech for short will also be on the Citadel, preferably on the Presidium. I have a feeling that Councilor Tevos will assist me in that regard.'_

I have been banging the Asari Councilor every time we saw each other and I would never get tired of the power trip when fucking one of the most influential political leaders in the whole damn galaxy. It was quite surreal because she used to be a fictional character from a game and now, I was plowing her like the world's ending in a few years which was not false in a way as Reapers were coming.

Being one of the most powerful figures in the galaxy, a Councilor's life could get lonely and stressful. Tevos was no different, she might put a brave and uncompromising look on her face but at the end of the day she was just a flesh and blood woman with needs and desires.

I for one knew that sexual desire was a very strong emotion, and a very powerful weapon if manipulated correctly. _But will I regret later for doing that to another person? I simply don't know for sure because I couldn't care any less._

I squashed that line of thought from my mind as I return my focus on the task at hand. Looking at the design process from the side of the nanite-tank was one thing but being immersed into the process itself was another matter altogether.

Taking a meditative position on the floor, I closed my eyes and breathed a couple of time before I was transported into a virtual reality projected by the nanites inside my head. While my physical body was still on the floor of my lab, my mind was submerged inside the _'Gridworld'_, a virtual place where there were no walls as far as my eyes could see. There were only floor and ceiling, pitch black in color with arctic blue grid lines in 36×36" tile formation. It was truly infinite and I could say it was my own _Matrix_.

There was only a foldable wooden director chair to sit down on and I liked it that way. The G.I.U. in front of me looked nothing like the bipedal humanoid security robot that most used in this galaxy which was the **LOKI **Mech manufactured by Hahne-Kedar. The G.I.U. that was being designed resembled more to that of _C6 Chassis C_ from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The reason the **LOKI **Mech was nothing more than a security bot was that it was too simplistic in its programming thus resulting in limited tactical movements. Only its expendability and relentlessness made it dangerous in droves. To say nothing of their appearances which rather looked like a delicate toy than a formidable security mech.

The G.I.U. on the other hand was being designed to serve as an autonomous infantry unit on the battlefield yet also capable of taking order from its superior. It was meant to be expendable when it comes to the safety of organic beings but not on the level of expandability as the **LOKI **Mech. That was one of the reasons why its chassis would most likely be built with high-grade steel alloy and the least bit of carbon fiber.

The G.I.s would be installed with optical or photon computing hardware. Instead of electron-based semi-conductive transistors, photon-based room-temperature superconducting (RTSC) infrared lasers (photon transistors) were used for computation which allowed higher bandwidth and has major advantages such as high density, small size, high speed, low junction heating, active scalability, massive parallel computing ability and so much more. Aside from speed, photon interconnections were impervious to electromagnetic interference and were not prone to electrical short circuits.

It was a matter of manufacturing the RTSC photonic crystals which would become the central processing unit (CPU) of the G.I.U.s with clock speed measured in terahertz.

Aside from quantum entanglement computing, this universe's computers still utilized electric current based three-dimensional integrated graphene processors augmented by element zero to achieve higher bandwidth while the optical computer was purely photon based in its working principle. Another thing that element zero did to stunt the growth of this galaxy in term of tech evolution.

For offensive purpose, each individual G.I. would be armed with up to two _**Leone**_ light mass accelerators (LMA) as its default armament with the weapon's heatsink capacity increased by the G.I. itself, allowing hundreds of rounds if not thousands to be fired before succumbing to overheating. The G.I.s would carry extra ammo blocks to replenish the weapon's ammo chamber and they would also be programmed with hand-to-hand combat melee moves so that they could engage enemies in close quarters without having to fire their LMAs thus reducing friendly fires.

Two hydrogen fuel cells would power the G.I.s' batteries and they could also be charged wirelessly if the fuel cells were not readily available.

With limited read-write ability of a G.I.'s artificial neural network, it could adapt to most situations especially battlefield related environments and it could share information with other units through the dedicated networks reserved for the G.I.U.s.

These networked G.I.s would be intelligent, capable and efficient but in no way, they would be capable of becoming sentient or sapient. They wouldn't have the necessary hardware capacity to become self-aware and they were not connected to any other networks like the Extranet for them to escape if they _miraculously_ gained sentience.

The stealth variant of the G.I.U.; Stealth Infiltration Unit or S.I.U. would also be designed for covert actions. For now, the G.I.U. would be the first product to hit the shelf once the X-Gen Tech opened its doors.

The _**Myrmidon**_ G.I.U. would be the new kid in town when it would be premiered in a few weeks.

I mentally collapsed the _Gridworld_ and I opened my eyes as I stood up.

'_Frost, begin building the __**Myrmidon**__ prototype.'_

'_**+ALREADY BUILDING, BOSS+'**_

**X-X-X**

**Citadel/Presidium/Section 16 Block 19**

**(Two Weeks Later)**

The diameter of the Presidium ring was about 7.2 km in diameter, 553 m in width and 22.6 km in circumference. It was considered to be the district of Citadel space's most elite and powerful individuals. The buildings were built along the curving walls of the ring to blend in inconspicuously with the surroundings.

At the moment, one of the buildings, a 370-story 1800 meters tall multi-corporate space-scraper was receiving its new tenant. At the base of the building, a grand ceremony for the new tenant was being observed by many people. Balloons, red carpets, confetti, camera flashes and people in expensive clothing were common sights as they mingled with each other of their importance.

Holding a wide tulip of _Franciacorta_, an Italian champagne in one hand, Emily Wong watched the crowd around her. She was feeling a bit nervous being in the middle of rich, famous and influential people of the Citadel space. She felt insecure to some degrees of her clothes since she was just an investigative journalist with a modest salary of sixty thousand credits per year. Nevertheless, she was determined that she came here to do her job. Not to compete with millionaires and billionaires.

She was here for a special purpose of catching an interview. Even a brief one with the man of the hour would be enough for her. She was particularly intrigued by the rise of the man known as Albert Wesker. It was only a few months ago that he appeared on the news radar when he single-handedly defeated a small platoon of slavers and mercenaries. And then nothing was heard from him again and she only knew that he was promoted to an Enforcer for his effort.

Then there was another story, not widely known by most, that he met up with the Quarian Conclave on the Migrant Fleet to broker a business deal. She only knew that because of an informant she has within the Quarian community here on the Citadel. Not long after that secret pact, he appeared on Bekenstein. This time it was about opening a new privately funded galactic exploration company with rumors of him possessing a way to ascertain the viability of a system before going there physically.

Of course, the man's latest public appearance was none other than here on the Citadel where he launched another company. Weapons manufacturing company to be precise and it was filled with theatrics, hype and controversy especially over flying of Earth helicopters in the Ward.

The latest she had heard from her sources and colleagues was that he was on _Thessia_ where the Asari had their decennial assembly. It was not a secret knowledge that the man and an Asari who was a daughter of a prominent family were dating and the couple was frequently the gossip of social medias and tabloid news. From their sightings around public locations, their choices of fashion and down to their choice of food were cataloged by the paparazzi and entertainment reporters.

But that was not what she considered to be interesting. What was interesting was that the head of Republic of Asari Union Bank (R.A.U.B.) loaned significant amount of credits to one Albert Wesker. And there were plenty rumors and conjectures of the transaction that happened before mid-night and she was itching to know the details from the man himself.

Speak of the devil, the man that was being discussed by almost everyone arrived at the scene as he exited his sporty custom-made air car of unknown model. Said man was wearing his trademark retro three-piece suit with red tie but without his ever-present sunglasses. Just when she thought the car was empty aside from him, another door opened and a woman in all-white elaborate clothing came out with her shoulder-length pure-diamond blonde hair fluttering in the air. She walked beside the tall blonde man with superior gait while her cape was flowing gently like it was somehow alive.

Emily thought that the woman must be just some supermodel that the Wesker was bringing as a plus-one yet they weren't holding hands or even standing close enough to qualify as an intimate behavior._ 'Maybe they are just acquaintances.'_ She thought to herself.

Wesker walked up to the podium and adjusted his tie before delivering his speech. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. If you already don't know, my name is Albert Wesker. Founder and CEO of the Next Generation Technology Corporation or X-Gen Tech for short. The notion of this company was a long time coming. The X-Gen Tech was not just thought up a few months ago but was the culmination of decades long planning and implementation.

I was born twenty-six years before the ill-fated encounter with the Turians known as the First Contact War. Way before the Prothean Ruins and mass relays were discovered, I had a grand vision of Humanity. We had just began mastering our own star system and we were coming up with brand new ideas and means to advance our ways of life. We were just starting to carve out our little place in the universe, no matter how small it maybe we were doing it our own way and we were doing it with our own ideas."

Emily Wong was wondering what was the man trying to convey to the crowd of people and how she had a hard time believing the blonde man was born way before even the System Alliance charter was signed but looking around her, she realized that people were silently listening to his words apparently drawn by his tale of origin. So, she returned her attention back to the man on the podium.

"Then we discovered something on the planet Mars. Something alien. Most were curious. Some were excited. A few were afraid." Wesker said, scanning the crowd like a story teller recounting a most interesting tale.

"Fragments of long vanquished civilization were discovered and we plundered their knowledge and made it our own. A surge in technological achievement started abruptly, never seen before in Human history, it was both a thrilling and daunting period for Humanity yet no one noticed it. Most would argue that discovering the Prothean Ruins uplifted us at least two hundred years into the future.

That may be true but it also stagnated our technological evolution. It stunted our scientific growth, innovation and the most important of all, the very creativity which we hold so dear. Discovering the Prothean Ruins was only a gift in short term, and a malediction in long term. So, I say this, the Prothean ruins are a curse in disguise, nothing more and nothing less."

The crowd in general gasped at the man's proclamation, thinking that he indirectly implied that the Protheans whom many were thankful and even revered for their legacy were responsible for the stagnation. The camera flashes increased and the vid drones went crazy as they tried to record the man from many angles.

Wesker held up his hand and the crowd began to quiet down and he continued.

"But I didn't say those things and lecture people of said stagnation without coming up and presenting you with a solution. After all, talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words can ever be.

With that being said, I present to you people the first product of the X-Gen Tech. The _**Myrmidon**_ General Infantry Units."

Just as he finished his sentence, Emily saw a slide door a few meters away from him slid open and a group of six bipedal humanoid mechs at least six feet tall rose out of the aperture.

"G.I.U. Light or Light Infantry units. Designed to be able to handle any equipment designed for use by regular soldiers. Autonomous yet still capable of taking order, it has limited read-write artificial neural network that can adapt to battle situations and all are carried out by the optical computer installed into the G.I. And before you start worrying about them becoming rogue or gaining sentience, let me personally assure you that they just don't have the necessary hardware capability to become sapient.

If you don't believe me there are third-party verifiers who would agree with me. Since this is the light variant, the armor is only 30 mm thick carbon fiber layered steel alloy. And the body too is made of high-grade steel alloy and some carbon fiber. Each G.I. can carry a _**Leone**_ light mass accelerator as the default weapon with its heat sink enhanced and pre-programmed with battlefield tactics and strategies. Two high performance hydrogen fuel cells will give each G.I. operational range up to 1500 km with 35 km/h (road) and 20 km/h (off-road) speeds. Weighing just under 200 kilograms (440 pounds), it can also be charged wirelessly."

After he finished the introduction, six more G.I.s popped up from the floor.

"This is the heavy variant and has 50 mm thick armor and powered by three fuel cells and carries a _**Macedon**_ medium mass accelerator or a _**Romulus**_ rotary mass accelerator as its default weapon. While relatively slower than the light variant, it still retains the similar operational range."

Another G.I.s popped with search and rescue logo on their shoulder pads and chests.

"Capable of lifting up to 5 metric tons of mass, these G.I.s are for deploying right after a disaster or an attack. To save lives rather than to take one. These are slower but more durable with advanced sensors to locate people trapped under rubbles and obstructions."

Next G.I.s looked smaller, less than six feet in height but with distinctive red cross symbol on their chassis. They were clearly medical in nature.

"You have seen two G.I. variants that are designed to take lives and one designed to rescue lives. This last one is meant to heal, nurture and care lives. They are programmed with extensive medical knowledge of every sapient species there is and you can most assuredly trust your lives in their hands for they will welcome you with open arms."

"And you know the most important thing of all is that none of these G.I.s have a speck of eezo dust in them. These mechs are built without relying on mass effect science."

As Wesker finished his line, the whole audience was stunned by his last revelation which then immediately followed by enthusiastic applause of the whole spectators.

"I shall be taking some questions from the audience." Wesker said when the applause died down.

It was time for Emily to ask her long-awaited questions but a Salarian got his chance first.

"Mr. Wesker. Emorth Torix of Salarian Science Chronicle. Will these new G.I.U.s have computational power on par with other mechs without the use of element zero in their construction?"

"I'm sure of the performance _**Myrmidons**_ have can easily rival any other mech designs especially in terms of adaptation and processing of huge influx of data. Thank you, next question."

"Lisavany Liava of the Citadel News Network. You mentioned how these G.I.U.s have limited read-write capability with artificial neural network. Aren't these mechs inching closer towards something like the Geth?"

"Geths are a collection of programs that mimic organic consciousness but they are not restrained by the hardware or physical aspect, while the G.I.s are individual units that while they might be networked but they are not hivemind entity like the Geth and their hardware capacity is totally inadequate, not to mention they are hard-locked so they can't survive outside their shell. Just like the organics' minds can't survive outside their bodies. Our products are being inspected and tested before they are put into use and multiple third parties, both public and private, are doing their part before the product can get its licenses. Next question."

"Caitlyn Stodden of the Alliance News Network. Mr. Wesker, you have a working relation with the Alliance, especially the military. Are you planning any sales pitch for the Alliance top brass?"

"Yes, I do have a professional relationship and I do have plans to introduce the products to the Alliance armed forces and though the G.I.s would mostly be used in support roles, I believed that they would consider them just for the increased safety of the human soldiers and expandability of the G.I.s themselves."

"Emily Wong of Future Content Corporation. May I ask you a question on the deal with the Republic of Asari Union Bank. Sources say that you have taken a huge amount of loans and made a deal with the head of the Bank itself."

The audience was again silence as they were curious for the answer and they too heard rumors about a huge loan being given to a Human by a Thessian bank but they were not sure.

"Yes, I can confirm that I reached an accord with the Matriarch, the head of the bank and took out a substantial loan." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by another line of question.

"Is it also true that the loan was given without having to return interest or even the original loan?"

Shock rippled through the audience as the question was asked.

The blonde man furrowed his brows but did nothing more as he replied.

"No comment."

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/Presidium**

_**Ethereal Cloud**_** Penthouse Suite**

"So, what you are basically saying is that you want to start a mercenary organization?" Tevos asked, sitting with her legs folded on the couch.

"Not exactly, no. The mercenary factions like the Blue Suns, Eclipse, Blood Pack and etc. are nothing more than glorified loose cannons and freelancing groups with little to no legal responsibilities and oversight whose loyalty is dubious at best. But this PMC (private military company) is different. It has a public face and legal bindings attached to it." I explained, standing near the VidScreen with a glass of bourbon in hand.

"Legal bindings to what faction? The Alliance or the Citadel or every government organizations there is. You know that each and everyone have slightly different laws and regulations and not to mention that you will have to ask for permission to enter or cross their territories which will slow down the fast response time of the troop movements." Tevos questioned, trying to clarify delicate issues that stemmed from setting up a private military organization.

"The Citadel Council will become the primary authority that the PMC will answer if there're any violation of laws. As for the rest, the PMC will deal with the respective government bodies only if the situation concerns them or if the PMC breaks one of their laws. Last I checked, the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems are lacking any centralized ruling body or authority." I answered, putting the empty glass on the coaster and sitting beside Tevos who unfolded her legs so that she could lean on my side.

"How do you imagine this new PMC to function?" She inquired as she rested her cheek on my bare chest while I put my hand around her to draw her closer.

"The day-to-day operations of the PMC is not heavily regulated as the usual galactic militaries. So that the PMC has more room to maneuver whereas other militaries are mixed with red tapes and politics." I replied, drawing invisible lines on her exposed smooth and silky thigh.

"That's how almost all the mercenary organizations became rogue and out of control. They also used to have good and even honest intentions at the start then greed took over and you know the rest of the story." Tevos described, knowing that she has been living far longer than me she would have surely experienced those scenarios.

"That's a risk I know the organization has to go through. It will test the PMC's ideal, resolve, and patience. It will have to go through its own baptism by fire. It's a necessary step, one that is unescapable if the PMC is to advance further." I acquiesced.

"You will also like this. The PMC does not only partake in military operations but also in humanitarian efforts such as helping disaster-stricken colonies and setting up infrastructures for the developing colonies." I added, eliciting a response from the Asari Councilor.

"That's a pleasant surprise since most people think of the mercenaries as nothing more than killers for hire. This humanitarian related services will also win some public relation points." She commented, her eyelids lowered to rest her eyes.

"The point of establishing this new organization is to have a PMC that takes a proactive stance, responding to a situation without letting politics or bureaucracies hindering the process. Without the need for approval from the Council or sovereign nations, they can act fast and instant."

"But what about the earlier point of asking individual nations' permission?"

"No, I said that if the PMC broke the laws or regulations of the governments, they would have legal responsibilities and they would answer for it. It will even work within the rule of law but the PMC will not to ask their approval to carry out a mission. And don't worry, they will not just blindly charge into a situation and will give heads-up beforehand. Only when innocent lives are at stake then they will move in to intervene and also they will work together with the local authority to achieve the optimal result."

"Still the politicians and military forces, especially the Turians will not be happy at all, whether the PMC charge in with the good intention or not. They will consider it as an infringement on their sovereignty."

"They will forgive when their people are saved from imminent raid from the Batarian slavers. Better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission."

"And the PMC will choose its members painstakingly. It won't pick up from any random stock but mostly from former military communities with good reputation. Did I also mention that a good half of the PMC troops will be composed of the _**Myrmidon**_ G.I.U.s?"

"You don't but why though?"

"As much as I value an organic's intuition, the synthetics are always reliable, obedient, and most of all, expandable."

"So, this is what you have in mind to spend half a trillion loaned from Matriarch T'Aeris?"

"Not the PMC though. She said that she would only be entitled to 15% of the company if I launch it by using the loaned credits but I won't use a single credit from the half a trillion credits to start the PMC."

"You don't want her having a piece of the PMC. Why?"

"The PMC is a fighting force and I don't want that force to even have 15% of command from another person. An army with two masters will never work well. Even if the Matriarch doesn't pull her weight around with the 15% share, I just don't want to risk it. Besides, that 500 billion worth of credits will be used for my future endeavors and projects. I already used some to launch the X-Gen Tech."

Tevos sat upright and looked at me a bit seriously, "But why are you doing these? I mean in the last few months you have started nearly a handful of companies, almost in a row. You know you're an enigma even to me who has plenty of resources to find out about a person's past. You only appeared on the Citadel not even half a year ago, worked as a cop and began causing scenes. Do you know that there's not a single day without a news channel or article or report mentioning your name and face?"

"Yeah. The social medias, tabloid journals, Extranet blogs and vids. I'm a huge subject for them to exploit. The reviews that the gun channels did for my guns and the discussions about my infantry robots and its components by the Salarian science channels. I know about them and I don't begrudge them for doing it because it goes both ways," I confirmed her statement.

"I don't have to spend a credit to advertise my merchandises to spread awareness and popularity across the galaxy. Nonetheless I will still advertise my products to further spread both brand-name and recognition."

For a while, we were both silent each pondering in our own thoughts.

"So, what's the end goal here? There must be something because you would not be doing at this breakneck speed. Is there anything that I should know about?" Tevos finally asked.

"There is and I don't reveal this to many people or any at all to be honest. The fewer number of people know the better." I tried to discourage her from the obvious line of question.

"You know since we started this relationship with benefits, it had mostly been a one-sided affair, aside from sex. I know what you think you are trying to do. You think you can manipulate me because of a rare moment of vulnerability with sex. I've been wrangling with politicians, bureaucrats and schemers for centuries so give me a break. I didn't become an Asari Councilor because I was a gullible fool. It might have worked with the Sarin girl but not with me." Tevos said coldly, standing up and moving towards the liquor tray, pouring a glass of scotch for herself.

I always knew that the gambit with trying to manipulate Tevos might not work a hundred percent but it crashed and burned way sooner than I would have imagined. The good thing was that it was entirely salvageable. If she was totally pissed and done with me then she would have just left yet she didn't. She just got up to fetch her drink and returned to the couch.

"Alright I will shed you some light on the end goal of what I'm trying to accomplish here?" Clearly not happy with the current situation.

"And also, your personal history. I don't know anything about you except for presuppositions that analysts came up with which are complete rubbish." Tevos added, sipping her liquor with a small smile.

"Woman, you just have to drive a hard bargain." I growled while looking in her eyes.

"What can I say? I always bargain for more which is in my job description." She threw back as she caressed her drink.

Better to stick close to the truth without saying anything about where I was truly from, and as well about arriving here from another universe in another man's body. Also, this universe being fictional and a game in my original universe. Those earth-shattering level of informations would always remain a burden which Frost and I would share for the rest of our existence.

"I was an orphan adopted by the man named Oswell E. Spencer for his eugenic programme called the Project Wesker. Back when the humans were still confined to our own solar system, he adopted hundreds of children whether legitimately or otherwise. And all those children were given the surname Wesker. The name which belonged to the first director of the project, Dr. Augustus Wesker.

The children were chosen based on the criteria of their parents' contribution to the mankind. They were given the best education money could buy while being closely monitored by the Project W team. Thirty-eight years later, thirteen Wesker children, so called the _'cream of the crop'_ were chosen to begin the next phase."

"By eugenics, you mean superior breed of Humanity and the sort." Tevos clarified, her body rigid and horror slowly looming on her face as she listened to her lover.

"Exactly."

"So, the thirteen candidates chosen for the next phase would be going through something like gene modifications and manipulations."

"Not exactly. Spencer discovered a type of plant; a flowering plant called the _Stairway of the Sun_ which was the host to a retrovirus known as the Progenitor. This Progenitor was a mutagenic virus that causes mutations in humans and animals. But when someone managed to survive the mutation without losing one's faculties then that person was granted with extraordinary abilities like this."

I stood up and easily lifted the three-seater couch that Tevos was sitting on much to her alarm. The expression on her face was simply priceless as she hanged on to the couch for her life.

"How!? How is this even possible? You lifted the whole thing with me on it without even using biotic and only with your physical strength." She exclaimed, her glass spilling its content over her dress.

"Biotic is not everything dear." I grinned toothily.

"So, you clearly survived the virus. But what about the rest?"

"They didn't survive. And when I realized what Spencer did to me, I killed him and took over what was left of his legacy." The last part was a complete fabrication as there was no Spencer here in this universe or even the virus except the one that was already inside me.

The Asari Councilor was completely astounded by the tale as she spent the next few minutes digesting the information.

"Okay but that doesn't explain why you are starting businesses left and right like there's no tomorrow." Tevos brought up the point again.

"Because a war is on the horizon. A war on the scale which the current civilizations have never seen before."

"A war? But with who?" She asked, alarmed at the prospect of war.

"During my travel around the galaxy after I discovered my origin, I encountered many things and among them, there was this ancient artifact which was millions of years older than the Protheans. The peculiar thing about this artifact was that it has influence over the organic mind. The owner of this artifact was already showing signs of brainwashing when I found him. So, for the next few years I researched about the species behind the artifact and found trails of evidence that this galaxy has been in a cyclic period of extinction every fifty thousand years or so. And I'm sure the creator of the artifact was behind these extinctions which also coincide with the disappearance of the Protheans fifty thousand years ago."

"That's too much to take in and it sounds unbelievable. An ancient race that has been killing off races every fifty thousand years. For what? And why haven't the scientists or the archeologists for that matter found anything about this." Tevos asked skeptically which was understandable as I would have a similar reaction if I was in her position but I kind of knew the truth from the beginning.

After the opening of the X-Gen Tech, Frost discovered about the possible Reaper artifact possession in a private collector's vault when an Extranet article mentioned it six months ago. So, we went there and tried to negotiate with the owner to no avail as he was already acting irrational and paranoid. We knew it right there that he was in the process of indoctrination and while I would like nothing more to end his misery, it also presented an opportunity to study an indoctrinated person so I subdued and brought him back to my lab which was starting to get crowded as I was also studying an Ardat-Yakshi too. In fact, I have to compartmentalize the lab to make space for keeping the subjects.

"I can you show the artifact which is under quarantine in my lab and some more physical evidence I've collected over the years." I offered, getting up from the couch and headed towards my lab.

"That might convince me more if there is some physical evidence." She noted, following me closely from behind.

**X-X-X**

'_So, what do we have here?'_

'_**+FULL-SCALE ANALYSIS AND MAPPING OF THE UROBOROS VIRUS HAVE COMPLETED. PETABYTES WORTH OF DATA HAS BEEN COMPILED AND AN ABRIDGE VERSION IS PREPARED FOR YOU+'**_

The nanite-tank displayed the model of the virus which was rotating slowly with multiple stream of data flowing around the viral strand.

'_**+BUT SIR WHY DO YOU WANT TO EXAMINE THE VIRUS. AFTER ALL YOU WERE THE ONE WHO ENGINEERED IT, WEREN'T YOU? IT SEEMS PRETTY REDUNDANT TO ME+'**_

'_I know but things are different now. Back then the resources I have compared nothing to the resources I wield now. We are living in the future with biological sciences and technologies that are way ahead and not to mention the alien element that needs to be accounted for.'_

'_**+WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO THEN? REENGINEERING THE VIRUS FROM THE BEGINNING SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY WAY+'**_

'_Not just that but also giving the virus a massive upgrade with the new knowledge from this universe and from ours. I also thought about integrating some alien genomes of this universe.'_

'_**+THAT'S QUITE RISKY AND NOT TO MENTION DIFFICULT. BUT WHAT BENEFITS MIGHT BE GAINED FROM ADDING FOREIGN ELEMENTS TO THE VIRUS? THE ORIGINAL VIRUS IS ALREADY POWERFUL ENOUGH BASED ON THE GATHERED DATA+'**_

'_I know the danger involved in incorporating other ingredients into the virus but I can't ignore the potential either. For example, the nervous system of the Ardat-Yakshi is very unique and I've never seen anything like that before. Merging that trait to the virus would significantly enhance the coordination and transmission of informations. Which in turn would grant me even more agility and faster reflex. And that's without the assistance from the nanites.'_

'_**+WHY DON'T YOU START UTILIZING THE NANITES MORE? YOU COULD ENHANCE YOUR PHYSIOLOGY WITH THE NANITES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULT+'**_

'_Because I want to augment myself as much as possible through biological means before going for the nanite enhancements.'_

'_**+AND I'M PRETTY SURE YOU ALSO WANT TO ADD MORE FROM OTHER SPECIES LIKE THE KROGAN AND THE VORCHA. THAT MEANS WE ARE GOING TO NEED A DEDICATED BIO LAB AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE HERE ON THE CITADEL SO WE NEED TO BUILD ONE ON A PLANET… OR A MOON THAT WE DISCOVERED IN THE ATTICAN TRAVERSE+'**_

'_Test subjects will be required to do this. And live one to boot. Why am I getting this feeling that we are making our own version of the Dulce's Nightmare Hall from New Mexico?'_

'_**+BECAUSE WE ARE DOING EXACTLY THAT TYPE OF BASE EXCEPT ON A HABITABLE MOON RATHER THAN ON EARTH+'**_

'_You know I always wonder how they could get away with that from the Senate and Congress. The things that are being done just broke every ethical and moral principles of science, at least from a civilian's point of view.'_

'_**+WE JUSTIFIED THAT IT WAS SIMPLY NECESSARY AND THE PEOPLE THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE HAD MADE THEIR OWN BEDS AND LIED IN IT+'**_

'_Now we are doing it except this time it will not be just for Humans but also for other aliens. So that means Project __**Ascension**__ has begun.'_

**X-X-X**

It was lunch time in the C-Sec cantina where I was having my lunch with a few people that I have befriended or the people that have befriended me.

"So Wesker, why are you still working in C-Sec anyway? I mean you have a handful of companies to look after and you are already rich for crying out loud. Why bother staying and doing Enforcement?" Officer Armando-Owen Bailey asked, genuinely curious about the blonde man's decision to stay at C-Sec despite him starting multiple corporations.

"I don't plan on staying at C-Sec for long but the reason for now is simply because of obligations and I just don't want to leave something unfinished. It's just not my way, that's all." I replied, shoving the last bite of meaty varren burger.

"You do it out of duty then? I can understand that but still even most Turians wouldn't bother with that if it's not a very serious matter." Detective Garrus Vakarian said, sucking what little dextro-amino coke left in his cup.

"Yeah it's kind of odd for a Human to allocate a chunk of his already busy time to work as a C-Sec officer." Detective Decian Chellick agreed with his fellow Turian.

"I'm hearing that the Executor is going to promote him to become a Detective. Says that it's ultimately wasteful for Wesker to go around the Citadel breaking up fights and patrolling the Wards." Officer Bailey said with a smile and continued.

"Also, Pallin don't want his super celebrity cop to get mobbed by the wards' residents. It's a wonder how you can evade or disguise yourself as an ordinary C-Sec officer for others to not notice you on the spot."

The other two Turians also agreed with that sentiment.

"People don't think that a man like me who has become an overnight sensation would continue working as a cop so most ignored me for a look alike. I don't even have to wear glasses or in my case, take-off my glasses." I explained as I remembered there were only a few observant people who really noticed me and thankfully, they were only surprised for a few moments before smiling and going their own way.

"Garrus, you might get a new partner soon." Chellick said wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Who?" Said person asked.

"Who else? Wesker of course." Chellick replied.

"Well, you two can finally solve crimes together then. That's great. Wesker gets the promotion and do something of more substance and Garrus also get a new partner in return." Bailey said, getting nods from me and Garrus.

I knew it was a matter of time before my next promotion and why wouldn't Pallin promote me when I could do much more than my current job. I should have gotten a higher rank from the very beginning but oh well better late than never, I guess.

The reason for my continued stay at the C-Sec was because I have some unfinished tasks to accomplish like spreading the nanites all over the station and also to create a new branch of C-Sec replacing the mostly defunct Special Response division with my own people whose allegiance would belong to me.

Regarding the nanites spreading on the Citadel, instead of releasing a huge _**Infestation**_ to subvert the control of the station I decided that it would be more prudent if the nanites were to infiltrate the station from various fronts instead of intruding from single point. Change in tactic was necessary if the nanites were to make progress within a few years.

"Hey where are you going? I thought you have one more shift for the evening." Bailey asked when he saw me standing up to leave the table.

"No. Someone will take my place. Look I have to go somewhere for a while and I already asked the Executor for some leave time so I will see you all in a few weeks."

"Where are you going?"

"Its job related in the Traverse."

"Travel safe and take care of yourself, Albert. Lawlessness is common in the Traverse."

"Don't worry. I'll be packing firepower."

Oh, I would be definitely packing firepower for the trip. Massive firepower in the form of my recently completed ship in the warehouse turned improvised shipyard.

**-X-**

The _Quantum Solace_ was a ship of technological marvel, supreme firepower, and also opulent luxury. It could pass as a heavy frigate if the ship was to be classified by its tonnage. Since the ship was civilian, at least that's how I registered it to be so that it would not attract any unwanted attention, it was given the designation of LYS (Luxury Yacht Ship). 252 meters long, 63 meters wide and 36 meters high, the _Solace_ has eight decks in total.

In spaceships, the topmost deck was usually considered as the deck number one.

The topmost deck of the ship contained a stellar observatory, 25 meters long swimming pool, bar, gym and etc.

The second deck consisted of a theater, holo-simulation sandbox, health bay and so forth.

The third deck included a kitchen, dinning/mess hall, medical bay, laboratories and et cetera.

The fourth deck comprised of sleeping quarters, library, private study and so on.

The fifth deck included bridge, operation/command information center, captain's cabin, auxiliary armory, conference room and so forth.

The sixth deck was for engineering, server banks, weapon bay and the like.

The seventh deck consisted of cargo bay, shooting range, primary armory, Pandora vault and etc.

The eight deck was all about the hangar bay, repair facilities and fabrication units.

Four (antimatter-injected) proton-proton magneto inertial fusion reactors; a type of antimatter engine based on fusion reactor (not a complete form of annihilation engine) provided power and subluminal propulsion to the ship. While the gravity engine could serve as both subluminal and superluminal propulsion system for the ship, for the sake of maintaining appearance the fusion engines were added.

The fusion reactors used protium or hydrogen-1 as fuel, the most common hydrogen isotope in the universe which consisted of just one proton and one electron. Most other fusion reactors used deuterium or helium-3 as the fuel source while the _Solace_'s reactors fused four protons together to create an atom of helium-4 (common helium) and 26.73 MeV of energy. Just fusing one kilogram of proton-proton fuel produced about 644.93 terajoules of energy or 154 kilotons equivalent of TNT. Protium fusion could generate power nearly twice as much as magnetic or inertial confinement fusion using deuterium and helium-3 as fuel.

The problem was that the Lawson criterion (which determines how hard it is to start and maintain the fusion reaction) for the proton-proton fusion was off the chart as protium fusion was what the stars like the Sun used for the reaction. But the Lawson criterion could be lowered by using antimatter as a catalyst or the artificial gravity generated by the gravity engine could also be used to simulate a star's condition thus igniting the fusion reaction without the need for the antimatter but the fusion reactors would still require antimatter even after the ignition process as the normal fusion thrust without antimatter didn't provide acceleration as fast as the antimatter-injected fusion reaction.

So, the gravity engine was left to its own again. But the irony was the gravity engine could produce antimatter as a byproduct. The three gravity generators that consisted of the gravity engine used ununpentium or element 115 which was a heavy element that didn't occur naturally on Earth or in most places. If element zero was the essential super useful material of this universe then the element 115 was the same for the Prometheans back in the original universe. This element 115 was even rarer than element zero and it costed me billions of credits to buy enough to power the ship's gravity engine from all over the galaxy's super particle colliders.

Until I set up my own infrastructure to mine element 115 near quark stars and magnetars I have to be very careful on how many ships that could be built with the gravity engine.

The element 115 (ununpentium-290) was placed at the top of the generator and its base was a cyclotron, a type of particle accelerator. A particle (pentagen; hydrogen with five protons) was accelerated to near relativistic speed and then deflected up a small tube which was aimed at the element 115 core. This transmuted the 115 similar to the way that was usually done in a normal particle accelerator. This caused a reaction, a radiation emission known as zeta radiation. It also produced antimatter as a byproduct and was guided down a homogeneous axial magnetic field and an inhomogeneous quadrupole electric field and reacts with a gas. When matter and antimatter react, they converted to a hundred percent energy. This energy was converted (heat energy) into electrical power in the generator itself.

This was done through a thermoelectric generator, and this electrical power was used to power other sub systems on the ship. The generator also produced gravitational wave from 115 being bombarded. This gravitational wave was present at the top of the generator and was essentially guided in the same way microwaves were guided and this went to amplifying cavities and to the projectors that were in the bottom of the ship.

So, the antimatter byproduct from the gravity engine not only powered itself but also provided antimatter for the fusion reactors. In a way, the gravity engine could be called as the eezo core of this ship as it was either directly or indirectly essential to the ship's operation.

The gravity engine or the E-115 core also provided the ship's artificial gravity (inertia damper), anti-gravity, antimatter byproduct, subluminal propulsion, superluminal propulsion and I bet there were probably more.

Oh, also another irony was that the gravity engine could be used to increase or decrease the mass of the ship like the eezo core, indirectly of course. Well since the gravity and mass were intertwined, the gravitational force could influence the mass indirectly by lessening the hold of gravitational force on the ship thus reducing the weight of the ship by at least 90%.

I hated it when it could be so simple yet so complicated but the ship needed to maintain this elaborate charade of showing the fusion engines being used by the ship but once it was out of the crowded areas of space then all bets would be off.

_Solace_ was just a few hundred kilometers away from the Citadel and the traffic around the station was simply ceaseless. Lines of ships just waiting to reach the station and patrol ships roaming the nearby vicinity. The _Destiny Ascension_ was just sailing lazily on her fat ass. I always found that ship to be ugly and inefficient in my opinion. What I meant was it looked like a thick crucifix and it just didn't look practical at all. The ship was taller and wider than it was long. 1500 meters tall, 1000 meters wide and 500 meters long it was just too fucking weird for my taste.

My ship on the other hand greatly resembled to that of the SDF Cruiser from the COD Infinite Warfare universe, at least in overall shape. Pretty much rectangular and oblong shape it was blocky with sharp angular edges which made it looks rather militaristic, than friendly.

"How's the ship doing? Are there any problems or anomalies?" I addressed the other Frost who was in her DDM (Droid Decoy Model).

"Why don't you check it for yourself? You can just put your hand on any terminal to get an instant access and status of the ship or you can do it through your nanite link. There are nanites spread inside the ship for you to access. Also, you can do it from your NCT in the bridge area." Frost answered as she hovered her hands on a terminal to check this specific part of the ship. The holo display flashed before her with endless stream of data yet her physical eyes were closed while she accessed the console without any cumbersome and slow physical input.

She seemed please after a few seconds of diagnostic when the ship was functioning up to her liking. So, we proceeded further into the ship since we were mostly inspecting the engineering section of the ship and the weapon bay but for now, we were heading for the fifth deck where the bridge and CIC were located.

The elevator was quick and time-saving, capable of moving not just vertically but also horizontally which meant that I wouldn't have to waste time walking the entire length of the ship. Once we reached the bridge, I sat on the NCT (Neural Command Throne) which served the similar role as the Ancient control chair from the Stargate universe except my chair was much more comfortable and pliable due to the entire chair being entirely made out of nanites.

From the NCT, I could control the entirety of the ship and even became one with the ship when I immersed my consciousness and essentially became the ship. The bridge was located deep inside the ship's bowel and the entire bridge section was fitted with holo emitters that could project both virtual and augmented realities. The mixed reality projection could be quite jarring at first with the holo projection of the ship's exterior, virtually exposing the bridge to the open space which let me and any other bridge occupants to literally see through the ship, making it felt like you were floating in the vacuum of space surrounded by stars and not inside the safe confine of the ship.

"I can get used to this in a while." I thought out loud, looking at the Citadel in the distant which the holo projections intuitively zoomed in to give me a clearer resolution.

"Frost, I wonder what kind of functions I have control on the Citadel right now? I mean the nanites are spread on the station the first time we arrived there." I asked.

"The nanites can let you access to the station's data networks, most of them anyway. The lights, climate control, security systems such as surveillance cameras, audio sensors, motion trackers and so on. All in all, only sixteen percent of the entire station's system access has been subverted by the nanites but I believe with the latest change in tactic and strategy on the covert infiltration of the station's system, it will allow us to gain quicker access in a relatively shorter amount of time."

"That's good to know and I can already see a few useful things I can do with what little access I have right now." I replied, already thinking a few ways of using it to my advantage and a bright idea suddenly popped up in my mind.

With a smile, I shared my idea to Frost.

"It's 2181, right?" I asked, to which Frost looked back at me with a quizzical expression.

"Yes. Why? What do you have in mind?" She asked, unsure of where I was going with.

"We are essentially in the 80's of 22nd century and you know that 80's was the best decade of the human history even if the 80's that I'm referring to happened two hundred years ago but that doesn't mean I can't bring back some good memories from that great decade."

To demonstrate what I was talking about, I mentally accessed the lighting systems of the entire Citadel station and configured it to something with what I have in mind.

It only took a few seconds before the lights on the entire station slowly changed from the default illumination to the iconic neon glows that just screamed 80's. The ship's optical sensors magnified on the station's wards to show the buildings with new neon lights cropping each structure's frame emphasizing its stature.

When I looked at Frost, she just rolled her eyes at me like I have gone complete juvenile on her which might not be far from the truth considering that the first thing I did with the key to the metaphorical kingdom was to play with the lights.

"You know people will panic, right? As a matter of fact, they are already panicking. It will also be on the news for days. You can't just help it and make a scene wherever you go." Frost retorted back.

"I always like to keep the Citadel residents and the upper echelon on their collective toes. I'm sure Tevos will have one heck of a time dealing with the latest incident and calming down the public."

Seeing that one of my long-time dreams had been fulfilled, I guided the ship towards one of the many primary mass relays and sent the data for the ship's mass to the relay after clearing with the Citadel space traffic control. The ship's eight fusion engines pushed the ship and the reaction control system fired the thrusters placed around the ship to maneuver it to fly parallel the relay and once it was close enough, the relay's tendrils of dark energy connected with the ship's hull and before I knew it the ship was transported thousands of lightyears within a few seconds.

The _Solace_ exited the mass relay of the _Asgard_ system, _Exodus_ cluster and it crossed the system to where another primary relay was located. Rinse and repeat that way for the _Hades Gamma_ cluster, _Antaeus_ system and _Attican Beta_ cluster, _Hercules_ system before arriving at the _Sentry Omega_ cluster, _Hoc_ system. I brought the ship to loiter around _Virmire_ to take some recon photos then I prepared the ship for the first ever opening of the Fluidspace for the superluminal transit.

"Is everything ready on your end, Frost?"

"Ready when you are, boss."

"Reactors checked. Ultracapacitors (Fluidspace capacitors) checked. Navigation (coordinates) checked. Gravity engine; all three generators… checked. We're good to go. Entering Fluidspace in 3, 2, 1, mark!

Entering the Fluidspace was unlike any other form of FTL drives. It didn't open a window into Hyperspace like the Stargate ships, didn't open a portal into Slipspace like the Halo ships, didn't accelerate into Hyperspace like Star Wars ships, didn't accelerate into FTL in real space like this universe's ships.

The closest thing that resembled was the teleportation jump drive from the Battlestar Galactica universe but the gravity engine didn't teleport the ship almost instantaneously to the destination like BSG ships, rather the drive creates micro black holes (gravitational singularities) that would pierce the veil of real space and into another dimension known as the Fluidspace and the ship's onboard gravity engine would propel the ship, the very same engine that also created the micro black holes in the first place in order to travel FTL or in this case, the extra fusion engines that were installed on the ship. Coincidence or not, the FTL entrance effect was eerily similar to the Kryptonian phantom drive's FTL entrance from _Man of Steel_ movie as the ship warped unto itself from the great gravitational maelstrom like a piece of paper being crumpled into oblivion.

The _Solace_ remained relatively stationary and silvery-white light would radiate and surround the ship before it would warp or collapse to itself, transporting it to the Fluidspace. Familiar sight greeted me when the residual brightness from the initial entrance receded. It was just as I remembered, the thick pinkish translucent fluid filled environment similar to the inside of a womb and also the omnipresent soothing sensation that was emanating from every direction.

"Switching to gravity engine for propulsion. I will ease up the reactors and leave them only for power generation." I announced, mentally commanding to lower the reactors' output just enough for power production.

"The three generators are status green and all of them are projecting gravitational distortion in front of the ship." Frost returned from her station.

"This new system, _Equinox_, that we are going is just ten and a half lightyears galactic north-east from the _Hoc_ system. It will take just twenty-five minutes to reach there."

"That put this ship's FTL speed at six hundred lightyears per day compare to the speed of the ships with mass effect based FTL drive which is less than twenty lightyears per day."

"I know. Very advantageous to have it for ourselves, don't you think?"

Twenty minutes later, the ship was slowed down considerably to prepare for the imminent exit from the Fluidspace. When the ship crossed into the real space, it would simply reverse the entering process as the ship would pop out from seemingly nowhere or at least it would appear that way to the outside observers.

There were seven planets in total orbiting the _Equinox_, a G2V type star, one and a half times bigger than the Sun. The system consisted of four rocky planets and three gas giants with one asteroid belt between _Equinox-6_ and _Equinox-7_. The habitable moon orbited _Equinox-5_ which was a _Jupiter_-class gas giant with a total of thirty-five moons orbiting it.

The moon was designated as _Deliverance_ and was slightly bigger than the _Earth_'s moon, _Luna_ except this moon has a breathable atmosphere and a large water bodies, both above and below the surface. The largest piece of land covered about thirty-nine percent of the surface and there were also smaller pieces of land mostly consisted of islands and icebergs.

The continent also has pretty diverse ecologies and biomes with an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. Mountains, rainforests, jungles, lakes, streams, rivers and seas made this moon a hidden paradise. It was discovered in the Promethean star chart when I was scanning through the data and not to mention the system was close to a primary relay so it could be reached quickly yet remain anonymous to anyone except me and that no one, whether good or bad would stumble here.

The infrastructures such as assembly lines, R&D labs, space ports and so on will be built mostly below the surface (subterranean) to preserve the pristine condition of the moon and also to make it looked like there is no intelligent presence on the surface and most important of all, to avoid orbital bombardment if there was ever a chance of being discovered by a hostile force.

This moon would become the new location for the weapon manufacturing plants once it has been moved from _Bekenstein_ after I finish this maiden voyage of the _Solace_. This way I wouldn't have to pay exorbitant amount of rental credits and taxes to the planet's governor and at the same time making the factory immune to attacks and sabotages since most would be clueless of the new location.

Once the _Solace_ has completed the preliminary scans of the moon, I dispensed a few billion nanites to start building the necessary infrastructures. The nanites would further replicate quadrillion more before beginning the work by extracting, consuming and converting resources from the ground. It would take at least a month before most of the frameworks would be done which would hopefully coincide with the arrival of the factory workers.

I brought the ship out of _Deliverance_ and _Equinox-5_ orbits without having to deal with the pesky time consuming Hohmann transfer orbits but with rapid Brachistochrone trajectories and headed straight for the asteroid belt. Back in the 20th and 21st centuries when chemical rockets and ion drives were still prevalent, they had to go through the weak Hohmanns to reach another planet's orbit or else it would run out of fuel halfway since they didn't have both high thrust and high specific impulse rocket engines like the _Solace_ has.

The _Solace_'s eight powerful fusion engines belched antimatter-injected superhot plasma in the excess millions of degrees, pushing the nearly one hundred thousand tonnes ship towards the thick asteroid belt located between the two _Neptune_-class gas giants.

As the _Solace_ gained speed and cruised through the darkness of space, a thought popped up on my mind that I was actually sailing the void in my very own ship which many people in my time would kill for and that I was living the literal dream. The only thing that would make this even better would be to play some music. I have always fantasized about listening to Synthwave while traveling in space and now my wish could be fulfilled by playing some of my favorite tracks in the background and the fact that the bridge's holo projection made it looked like I was literally flying in the open space without the ship added to the visual effects.

After ten minutes of slow cruising towards the asteroid belt, I began the ship's performance test by putting the _Solace_ into series of maneuvers from the basic course changing maneuvers to advanced tactical evasive maneuvers. Next on the list was the acceleration test with the ship easily achieving 1500 G and despite the monstrous inertial force, I didn't even feel the slightest of acceleration as the ship itself generates its own gravitational field that maintained perfect 1 G inside the ship.

Being inside that field, the _Solace_ could even do ninety degrees turn at thousands of g-forces. Many would probably think the people inside the ship would be slamming against the bulkheads and ceilings but it didn't happen since the inertia wouldn't have any effect because the ship was in a self-produced gravitational distortion and the gravity distorts both time and space so nothing was going to influence me inside the ship.

It sounded weird and unbelievable as even in most sci-fi stories with advanced technologies they still have to deal with inertia. I think the writers did that to prevent the overpowering of the story. In reality it didn't work that way and you know what they say; life is stranger than fiction.

The ship went through insane maneuvers that could snap most ships in half. Slinging around one of the gas giants, I piloted the ship towards the system's star, skimming the star's corona to test the durability and resiliency of the ship's armor and hull. The tungsten lamination of the armor helped greatly in absorbing radiation and the hafnium carbon-nitride ceramics was able withstand the heat for a while but not much since the corona was nearly a million degrees hot. The moment the ship neared the corona, the liquid helium was flushed between the hull and the armor gaps to alleviate overheating to some degrees.

I set the _Solace_ around the stable orbit of the star for a few more cycles before testing the interplanetary Fluid Spatial Rift (FSpaR) jump back to the asteroid belt. It was an extremely brief affair lasting only one-fifth of a second to disappear near the star and reappear above the asteroids. The distance was so short for a FSpaR (FTL) trip that it might as well teleported to the location.

I have to test one more thing for the ship which was to test its weapon systems. There were three railgun batteries instead of one spinal-mounted main gun installed on the ship. The primary battery consisted of 2 railgun turrets and each turret has three 254 mm (10-in) railguns which were placed on the dorsal surface of the ship and were retracted into the ship's hull when not in use. The secondary battery consisted of forty-eight 152 mm (6-in) railguns; 24 on the dorsal section and 12 on each side of the port and starboard. The tertiary battery consisted of ninety 76 mm (3-in) railguns; 30 railguns each on dorsal and ventral sections of the ship and 15 railguns each on the broadsides of the ship. All the railgun turrets were retracted into the hull when not in battle condition.

Next weapon system was the fifty _**Piranha**_ 16-barrel (hex-box) anti-ship missile turrets that could fire eight hundred missiles in a salvo. Eighteen vertical launch tubes which could launch bigger and more sophisticated missiles with exotic warheads with either cold launch or hot launch capabilities unlike the _**Piranha**_ which could only hot launch missiles with conventional warheads.

For point defense, the ship was fitted with the D.E.A.D. system which consisted of a network of a hundred and twenty 21 MW power free-electron ultraviolet pulsed laser turrets. As a bonus, it also has the capability to lay varieties of mines.

And these weapon systems required live testing in space with real target practice instead of computer simulations like they went through before. I activated the primary weapons which were the dorsal railguns that were reminiscent of the 16-in guns from the _Iowa_-class battleships except the railguns' caliber was smaller but the high muzzle velocity would compensate for the relatively small size of the slugs.

Each 254 mm railgun could fire a 250 kg ferric tungsten slug at 710 km/s with a kinetic energy yield of 15 kilotons and capable of firing six rounds per minute. It could also fire multiple type of projectiles such as kinetic enforcer (KE) round that would maximize the transfer of kinetic energy on impact like most usual mass accelerator slugs did. Hollow point (HP) which would expand on impact and cause the projectile to create a larger wound and prevent over-penetration. Armor-piercing (AP) for defeating thick armors of dreadnoughts and carriers. Shotgun shell (buckshot) that was capable of unloading dozens of pellets or serrated wedges upon the target. Fragmentation (Frag) round which was designed to only fragment once inside the target to rip a ship apart from the inside. Last but not least, the nuclear shell which could either be programmed to explode on impact or before impact or even inside the target.

I have a feeling that the last one would not be exactly legal by the Council weapon standards. But what they didn't know wouldn't concern them.

"Loading a KE round into the primary railgun battery, railgun turret one, railgun number one (PRGT1/RG-1). Standard mass (250 kg), maximum velocity (710 km/s). Capacity charge time (CCT): 10 seconds." I informed in a professional manner for the sake of standard naval operation.

"Ay, ay boss!" Frost replied in turn, going along with the flow of recently made up naval jargon.

I could see the primary railgun turret one in the process of extending from the armored hull with the turret itself adequately armored to protect against counter fire to some degrees. The power level climbed up steadily in ten seconds before I willed it to fire.

The KE round blitzed out of the barrel at tremendous velocity and struck a building-size asteroid. While the round might not fly at the same velocity as a slug fired from a dreadnought's main gun, it was still fast for a railgun without the use of element zero when it hit the target in two seconds.

Fifteen-kiloton of pure kinetic energy was transferred to the rock, shattering it to millions of pieces which flew in every direction.

"Raising the barrier." I notified.

A few car-size pieces managed to hit the ship's barrier despite the near fifteen hundred kilometers of distance.

"Barrier integrity down to 99%. Not bad at all." Frost noted.

"Loading a shotgun shell. Max velocity, programmed for maximum wide spread shot."

Another round was unleashed and this time instead of a slug, the shell released tungsten carbide pellets, the size of watermelons hurling towards a four-kilometer wide asteroid. As expected, the pellets didn't penetrate or completely shatter the asteroids but it gutted the thick rock deep with its debris flying everywhere, the remaining larger pieces tumbling and spinning out of control.

"Not suitable for taking down a ship's kinetic barrier but once the barrier is down, it's a fair game." I stated, the open space outside the ship that the bridge's holo emitters projected showing everything around the ship in full 360 panoramic degrees with the stray rocks flying above my head. The details were simply insane.

"Though I don't recommend it against heavy armor like that of a dreadnought." Frost replied which I agreed, knowing that armor-piercing slug would have a significantly greater chance of accomplishing the task.

"I'm going to test the nuke round. Loading the nuke shell. Programmed to detonate before impact. PRGT1/RG-1; plus thirty degrees elevation."

Ten seconds later when the railgun's capacitors were fully charged, the nuke round was let loose from the barrel. For nearly six seconds nothing happened until a blinding flash of light, reminiscent of a star, blossomed in the middle of a particularly dense cluster of rocks.

2.3 megatons of explosive blast almost immediately disappeared altogether in the absence of an atmosphere. Thermal radiation also vanished more or less quickly since there was no air for the heat to transfer but some rocks closest to the epicenter of the detonation were completely vaporized and only because of distance the heat intensity dissipated thus sparing the more distant rocks from disintegration.

Nuclear radiation on the other hand suffered no significant physical attenuation and the only degradation in intensity would arise from reduction with distance yet the range of significant radiation dosages from the multi-megaton explosion would be in the lethal radii of hundreds of kilometers.

If this nuclear round was to detonate near a ship, the crew would at the very least die from radiation poisoning even if the ship was not destroyed since the kinetic barrier would not protect against extremes of temperature, toxins, or radiation which also meant the thermal radiation would affect the ship's hull through the barrier if the nuke exploded point blank or at least near point blank range but the most effective way would be to penetrate the hull then detonate inside the ship.

Not to mention the EMP released from the explosion would scramble ships' sensors and communications for a brief period of time. The EMP might even be powerful enough to mess with the functions of the kinetic barrier and the eezo core of a ship.

"If the nuclear rounds are to be a hundred percent effective in the future, they need to either at least detonate (near) point blank range in hundreds of meters of a ship's hull preferably with its barrier down or they explode in a narrow cone like a shaped charge directional nuke because the only other way is for the round to penetrate the ship's armor/hull then explode inside but that ship must have its barrier down or else the round will be intercepted by the barrier." I concluded, seeing that the results of the much-anticipated nuke shell didn't do so well despite the nuke being encased in a uranium-238 force multiplication capsule (FMC).

Sure, it vaporized some rocks in a kilometer radius but the overall effect was not satisfactory, at least in my opinion. The manned space fighters and unmanned drones would be defeated through lethal radiation by this round and maybe even corvette and frigate might be affected but I was not so sure about larger ships with thicker hull and more sophisticated radiation protection systems.

The missiles were next in line for testing and the _**Piranha**_ missiles did well with their conventional high-explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag) warheads, blasting hypervelocity shrapnels in a directed manner like a claymore mine. With enough number, I believed that the missiles would be adequate enough to take down a fighter-screening frigate class ship's barrier even if half of the missiles got intercepted by its GARDIAN lasers and then proceed to destroy the ship.

The missile body was built out of carbon fiber due to the material being extremely cheap with the available technology that I have my hands on. The carbon fiber helped in many ways from lowering the mass of the missile which allowed it to have more speed, maneuverability and little increased in survivability against the point defense laser fire but not by very much.

At first, I thought about the missile's warhead being exclusively high-explosive but like the nuke round, the explosive force would be diminutive in vacuum and the shrapnel would be much more effective and damaging compare to an explosion so the high-explosive charge would just launch pre-fragmented metallic shards (i.e. serrated tungsten wedges) at high speed which would keep going on inertia alone to the final destination.

The _**Piranha**_ missiles were meant to be cheap and easily built in great quantity. In fact, the ship has a munition factory on board to manufacture missiles and railgun slugs. So, I didn't have to worry about expending a huge number of missiles.

"Prepare for a missile salvo. All eight hundred missiles at once." I notified, immediately all the hexagonal-shaped box launchers with sixteen barrels each popped out of the hull and with a mental command, all the missiles blasted out of their launchers.

The _**Piranha**_ missiles accelerated at 100 g, reaching their max speed of 12 km/s (Mach 35) in 18 seconds. Almost all of them, after another half a minute of flight reached their target and exploded in a unilateral fashion further wreaking havoc amongst the asteroids. The missiles have a max fuel for range of 6000 km (3728 mi) just a little longer ranged than an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and have standard ECCM suite to have a higher chance of striking its target and at the same time confusing the GARDIAN laser targeting sensors.

For the testing of the Mk. IX Vertical Launch Tubes, a missile with one city killer level (35-megaton) _**M-80**_ thermonuclear warhead was fired which struck a 50 km wide asteroid and it exploded just a little under fifty meters away from the surface and it nearly split the city-sized rock apart. It was quite spectacular to watch despite the lack of an atmosphere to create a classical mushroom cloud.

For the final test, all the weapons were brought online from multiple railgun batteries to all the missile launchers. I piloted the ship through the neural connection into the asteroid field with the barrier on standby and the fusion engines on full readiness.

"Boss, I know that you are trying to stress test this ship capabilities under extreme condition but it can go very wrong. There are some rocks that will squash this ship like a bug if we crash into them." Frost warned, her avatar body looking at my way.

"I know, Frost but you know it's necessary to go through this at least once. Besides you will be on the gravity engine, ready to intervene the moment when the fusion engines are not enough to dodge larger pieces of rocks." I replied with a careless smile, knowing that her reaction would be faster than mine to activate the gravity engine to maneuver the ship out of trouble since the gravity engine was the only capable of maneuvering this ship like a fighter craft.

"Alright I'll be your safety net." Frost replied, sounding a little annoyed.

The moment the preparations were done, I accelerated the ship into the asteroid field and fired all the railguns which included all the six 254 mm primary railguns, thirty-six 152 mm secondary railguns and ninety 76 mm tertiary railguns. The dorsal, ventral, starboard and port sides of the ship were spewing hundreds of rounds in every direction, scoring hits at varying sizes of asteroids no matter the aim as the ship was pretty much surrounded by the space rocks and also making a complete mess while the fusion engines were in full thrust trying to outrun and dodge the flying debris.

The missiles were also launched continuously, smashing against large pieces that broke off from the larger rocks. A few more _**M-80**_ nukes were also launched which exacerbated the chaos that was the debris field that was left in the ship's wake.

After the nukes were detonated a few debris were catching up to the ship and the barrier was activated just a split second before a bus-sized debris hit the stern of the ship near the engine blocks, extracting 5% of the barrier integrity.

Four minutes of rampage later, I lead the ship five light seconds away from the asteroid belt and brought it to a halt with the bidirectional fusion thrusters.

"Well looks like the _Solace_ passed the test with flying colors in my honest opinion. What about yours?" I stated, pretty satisfied with the ship myself.

"The _Solace_ performed above and beyond expectations and if only this ship gets to use its gravity engine at full potential or at least unrestricted, it will be simply unrivaled on its own." Frost answered, wanting for the ship to fly with full wings.

"We can use the gravity engine for subluminal propulsion when the ship is not in the populated areas. Besides, the ship is using the gravity engine to decrease the gravitational hold on the ship. In a way it's similar to how the ships in this universe use the eezo cores to decrease the mass of the ships." I reminded her.

"Now let's return back to _Hoc_ system, we have other things to do."

"I'm ready on my end sir."

"Powering up the gravity engine; delta configuration. Capacitor banks are charged and ready at a hundred percent."

The ship remained relatively stationary but the tell-tale sign of silver-white light radiated around the ship and instantly enveloped the entire ship then the ship seemingly collapsed/warped into itself transporting into the transdimensional realm known as the Fluidspace.

We spent another 25 minutes inside the strange dimension before popping out of the Fluidspace and back into the _Hoc_ system. Just as we were heading towards the system's mass relay, an alert of sort flashed across my mind from the ship's sensors.

"Boss, it seems that we are receiving a distress signal." Frost informed, manipulating the holo display to acquire more information.

"Why don't we check it out. We will make some time for this."

With that being said, I set for a new course towards the distress signal's location.


	8. 07: Time In A Bottle

**Mass Effect & Resident Evil are the properties of Bioware and Capcom respectively. I do not own them. All rights go towards them.**

**Chapter 7: (Time In A Bottle)**

**(2181, Apr – Jun)**

As we neared to the location of the distress signal, I powered down the fusion engines and used the gravity engine instead to slow down the _Solace_'s forward momentum. This way the deceleration was much smoother, quicker and most of all the ship didn't have to flip 180 degrees and apply thrust on the opposite vector. It was kind of cheating but since when did I care about playing fair anyway.

The _Solace_ was brought to a near standstill just one hundred thousand kilometers, one third of a lightsecond away from the distress signal and I employed the ship's extensive sensor arrays which to me felt like new sets of eyes and ears just opened for me the first time considering that I was mentlly linked to the ship itself.

But it would be disastrous for my brain if all the sensor data just flooded into my mind so the data buffers were placed beforehand to let only the summarized and important packets of refined informations to be presented to me. My mind was just not evolved enough to handle hundreds of petabytes worth of data within a split second.

"The sensors are showing one light corvette, Human by the look of its design surrounded by one light cruiser, two medium frigates and three light corvettes. The lone cruiser and two frigates are clearly of Batarian origin. Three other corvettes on the other hand are Human in design."

"And the lone Human corvette seems to be disabled and it's leaking atmosphere. I don't think the other ships are in charitable mood here, in fact they might be the one to have done the dirty deed."

"Sir, they have noticed our presence. Two corvettes and one frigate are heading our way. Interception in fifty seconds with their speed and acceleration."

"I don't think we have to rack our brains to know that they ain't going to welcome us with a hello. Ready our weapons because we are meeting them halfway." I said, bringing the PRGT (primary railgun turrets), SRG (secondary railguns) and TRG (tertiary railguns) online. _**Piranha**_ missile launchers were also on standby but the Mk. IX VLTs were left alone for the moment.

"I will handle the E-War operations and point defense system." Frost acknowledged on her end.

"Kinetic barrier projectors are at one hundred percent and are pulsing nicely." One thing about the kinetic barrier was that whenever I fired the ship's mass accelerators or railguns in this case, the barrier emitters covering in that weapon's area have to be switched off for a brief moment when the slugs were passing through or else the barrier would block it and the slugs would bounce right back to the ship which would be catastrophic for the ship's wellbeing.

Considering that the _Solace_ has railgun turrets for its main weapon instead of a spinal-mounted one, the barrier deactivation areas increased proportional to the placement and number of the turrets which could become vulnerable if an enemy slug managed to hit right at the moment when the barrier switched off to allow the friendly slugs to pass through. It was only one in a thousand chance of hitting but the fast rate of fire plus the number of ships could decrease that chance. I was quite relieved that the bridge section was built deep inside the ship's bowel. That way there wouldn't be either accidental or intentional decapitation strike to the ship.

The unknown group of ships and mine met in the middle with the enemy corvettes in front while the frigate stayed about a dozen or so kilometers behind. The corvettes in general didn't possess any serious armaments and they would usually use their maneuverability, light caliber mass accelerators and GARDIAN lasers to strafe their target at knife fighting range and might occasionally deploy disruptor missiles in small numbers.

A single corvette alone might not be dangerous but like the frigates, with enough numbers they could be organized into a wolf pack formation of six corvettes. Right now there were only two corvettes and before they even reached a thousand kilometers from my ship, I fired a KE slug from the PRGT1/RG-1 to its bow which was kind of overkill for a corvette as its kinetic barrier was shorted out by the quarter ton slug and I finished the pathetic excuse of a ship by simultaneously sending out a hollow point round from the PRGT1/RG-2 which expanded on impact thus creating a larger wound in its unarmored hull, spilling its guts and what little crew members it had. The small ship was officially dead and only tumbling/moving on its residual inertia.

The second corvette went for evasive maneuvers, trying to avoid the primary dorsal railguns but what they didn't know was that the _Solace_ also has ventral railguns in the form of tertiary railguns. The 76 mm railguns fired 20 kg slugs with the speed of 200 km/s at 540 rounds per minute. Each shot packed 400 gigajoules of energy and capable of firing at an incredible rate for a railgun.

Dozens of the 76 mm railguns tracked and fired at the erratically moving corvette as the _Solace_ sped closer and closer. The corvette's kinetic barrier was clipped when it reached just two hundred kilometers away from my ship's starboard bow when a 152 mm secondary railgun on the starboard side drained the barrier after the ventral railguns weathered it down considerably.

"Launching _**Piranha**_missiles. Let's see how the missiles deal with a ship on the evasive maneuvers and its GARDIAN lasers."

Thirty _**Piranha**_missiles were launched from their box launchers and six missiles assembled together to form a group, totaling in five which headed for the corvette. In each group, six missiles linked each other to pool their ECCM capacities which further enhanced their ability to befuddle the enemy corvette's tracking system of the GARDIAN lasers.

Only twelve out of thirty missiles were intercepted, while the rest slammed into the corvette's hull, especially on the engines and the reactor sections of the ship. The last three missiles slipped right inside the ruptured hull and exploded near the ship's reactor. The corvette finally exploded in a brief fireball before the harsh vacuum snuffed out the fire.

"The frigate is starting to panic, sir. It's firing its mass accelerator wildly in our direction. I believe the 254 mm slugs will do nicely." Frost advised.

"Acknowledged. Two KE rounds are on their way." I returned.

The first slug hit right on the frigate's port side but the second one just grazed the ship as it tried to dodge out of the way. So, one more round was fired with predictive firing solution and it slammed on the amidships of the frigate. But the third round didn't just disable the frigate's barrier but also managed to retain enough kinetic energy to dig a deep gouge on its dorsal hull.

By now the _Solace_ was just a few dozen kilometers away from the frigate so the pulsed laser turrets (PLT) began firing on the frigate's port side. Single PLT was capable of firing three shots per second and each shot has seven megawatts of power with an effective range of fifty kilometers. More than that range, the firepower would diminish over the distance until the laser simply became ineffective but the obvious advantage was that the _Solace_'s point defense lasers have more than twice the effective firing range of most GARDIAN lasers, not to mention they also packed more punch per shot.

However, the free-electron UV lasers of the _Solace_ fired in pulsed mode instead of beam (continuous) mode as the former has the explosive effect on the target and also used less energy. By firing the laser in pulsed mode, it caused worse damage because the laser would act like a machine gun loaded with explosive bullets that would blast wider and deeper craters with each impact.

On the other hand, the continuous firing of laser beam was inefficient and power consuming as the continuous beam would have to spend more power to get through the cloud of ionized plasma that was formed from the ship's hull which would act as a shield against the laser beam.

At the moment, the enemy frigate's port side was stung by hundreds of laser bursts from the dozens of turrets. It was truly death by a thousand cut as the entire frigate's port side was riddled with laser shots. And the 152 mm railguns dealt with the rest of the frigate which finally put it out of its misery. The other ship couldn't even manage to retaliate in kind as the _Solace_ was out of its GARDIAN laser range. Typical range of the GARDIAN lasers were usually around twenty and maybe thirty kilometers and any more than that, they would become ineffective due to diffraction.

I accelerated the _Solace_ towards the last three ships. The cruiser posed the greatest threat out of them since it has more powerful weapons, stronger kinetic barrier and thicker armor. The Batarian cruiser was obviously prepared for my arrival and without hesitating a bit fired its primary mass accelerator followed closely by the secondary mass accelerators. The cruiser was trying hard to make sure my ship couldn't get close to it and at the same time, tried to present its broadside constantly where a lot of its mass accelerators were present.

Reserving the primary railguns for a while, I targeted the cruiser with the 152 mm and 76 mm railguns but clearly it was not enough and the cruiser's mass accelerator rounds were pelting on my ship's barrier. At this rate, both ships were going to deplete their respective barriers and that was when the last frigate appeared from behind the cruiser to screen my ship in a pincer move.

The frigate this time, instead of firing its mass accelerators or the GARDIAN lasers, launched multiple disruptor missiles in an attempt to disable the _Solace_'s barrier but most of them were intercepted by the longer ranged pulsed UV lasers. Though two disruptor missiles succeeded in hitting the starboard side.

"Barrier integrity down to eighty-two percent. Pumping more power into the barrier's capacitors. The ship's different type of barrier is quite effective in repelling the space-time warp effects."

"You're right but the barrier can still be disabled under mass disruptor strikes. Let's hope that they don't send more than what point defenses can chew up or before the barrier can recover." I said, already noticing the barrier integrity climbing back up to ninety-six percent.

The two enemy ships were quite effective in trying to block my ship from getting a good shot on the cruiser but unlike other main weapons which were usually fixed, the _Solace_ could swivel its primary railgun turrets and just a brief opening was needed to fire a two KE rounds in rapid succession to the frigate's starboard side before it could launch more disruptor missiles.

Suffice to say the KE rounds smashed into its side, nearly flipping the ship but ended up killing its barrier and fatally crippling the frigate to the point where it was no longer capable of any combat operations.

Also, the momentary focus on the frigate allowed the Batarian cruiser to get a good salvo at the _Solace_'s port bow.

"Barrier integrity down to seventy-nine percent. No damage to the armor or the hull."

"I know. It's time to take off the kiddie glove and get serious. I'm loading a nuke round. Ready for proximity detonation." I warned, knowing that the nuke's EMP would travel in omni-direction.

I pivoted the PRGT2 and made sure that there was some distance between my ship and the enemy cruiser.

When the cruiser was about seven hundred kilometers away from the _Solace_'s broadside, I fired a nuke round at the cruiser's stern. The nuke round reached the cruiser in less than a second and crashed into the ship's barrier then promptly exploded on impact, the bright flash of nuclear detonation noticeable even from afar as the flash of blinding light nearly enveloped the cruiser.

When the light receded, the cruiser was in a nasty condition with its barrier flickering erratically and the uppermost layer of the ship's hull just melted away with many of the weapon ports destroyed by fusing with the hull. The cruiser also stopped accelerating and became sluggish in its movement as if the EMP has affected its propulsion system. The barrier then finally died and I put an armor-piercing round through its engine blocks in a diagonal fashion to completely cripple its movement.

The only other enemy craft left was the light corvette which was docked side by side with the distressed corvette. "How about we check out the damaged Human ship first then the cruiser?"

"I will prepare accordingly for our boarding action, sir." Frost reciprocated, leaving the bridge quickly.

"You do that while I disable the enemy corvette." I muttered while zooming on the enemy corvette's stern section.

When the _Solace_ approached near the two conjoined ships, I opened fire with the PLTs on the enemy corvette's communication arrays and propulsion system. A few invisible shots of pulsed UV laser peppered the comm dishes and antennas while plenty more was unleashed upon the engine units till it started spewing molten blobs of the engine nozzles.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the hangar deck on level eight where Frost was waiting for me in a Raven dropship. The hangar bay occupied the _Solace_'s entire eighth deck and twelve Raven dropships were stored and maintained there. There were four exits from which a craft either a dropship or a fighter could launch from the hangar bay.

First was through the ventral doors which were usually part of the designated dropship landing pads and the Ravens were most suited to use the ventral doors to launch from the ship as they were slow moving in initial launch when compared to speedy fighter crafts. And if the dropships were to exit from other three exits by way of the port, starboard, or even the bow hangar doors (where they were mostly reserved for the fast launching fighters) then the dropships would be vulnerable to enemy fire which in turn was also potentially dangerous to the ship's deck itself if a dropship was to be shot down during the initial take off from the ship.

The crafts could be launched in either vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) mode or electromagnetic assist launch (EAL) mode like the one from the 21st century _**Ford**_-class aircraft carriers. Ravens were also designed to launch in both modes in addition to the _drop_ mode. But for the Ravens, the drop mode launch method was the safest, and it was kind of fitting, considering that the Ravens were technically designated as dropships.

As of right now, there were no aerospace superiority fighters in the hangar bay because they were still on the drawing board. Seeing that the pre-flight checks were done by Frost, we immediately dropped from the _Solace_ through the ventral exit. The Raven passed through the atmospheric retention (kinetic) barrier and once it cleared the ship's threshold, I willed the craft's fusion engines through my nanite link to full power.

The Raven accelerated quickly and easily achieved speed of Mach 6 in seconds. We reached near the damaged ship a few minutes later. It was pockmarked by light caliber mass accelerator rounds which point out that the ship was hit not to kill but to disable. If they really wanted to be done with it then the Batarian cruiser could have easily obliterated the Human corvette with its primary weapon yet from the look of it, the five ships ambushed and crippled it but what about the three Human corvettes, two of which were destroyed a while ago.

Were they accomplices working with the apparent Batarian ships? Since the last enemy corvette was docked with the distressed ship then it might be safe to assume that they wanted someone alive from the ship.

The Raven's sensors beeped alerting me of the power spike from the enemy ship which I expected. Not a moment later, the enemy ship fired its GARDIAN lasers to which I reacted in microseconds by juking the craft around in a barrel roll and before Raven could complete the maneuver, I unleashed a handful of high-explosive fragmentation missiles at the offending ship while the chin-mounted eight-barrel 5.7 mm rotary railgun fired thousands of slugs at high-hypersonic velocity.

Two seconds later just as I leveled the dropship to normal plane, the missiles slammed into the area of the kinetic barrier where the rotary railgun was firing. With just a few kilometers away from the enemy corvette, I opted to finish its barrier with a barrage of semi-guided high-explosive rockets. The barrier glowed red by the rocket bombardment and finally popped like a soap bubble. The corvette couldn't dodge or maneuver my attacks as it was still attached to the damaged ship but it tried its best to leverage the GARDIAN lasers and light caliber mass accelerators to shoot down my bird but the ECM which Frost operating was doing a great job messing up its targeting sensors and instead of dodging the laser beams, I went for evading the barrel aim of the weapons.

With the barrier down, I fired what was left of the guided missiles to its GARDIAN laser turrets and mass accelerators hence leaving the enemy corvette basically toothless.

I turned my attention towards the other ship and brought the dropship close to a docking port near the stern. A few seconds of scanning later, the dropship adapted to the ship's docking access, creating an airtight and pressurized seal between the two vessels.

I exited the cockpit followed closely by Frost who picked up a _**Ravager**_ full-auto combat shotgun which was capable of firing 8-gauge shells from 20-round auto-revolving detachable quad-tube magazine that ran parallel to the barrel, a _**Honey Badger**_ tactical submachine gun which could fire 4.6 mm armor-piercing rounds with 72-round detachable magazine and a handful of assorted cylindrical-shaped grenades from the small weapon locker. These were mainly chemical propellant (gunpowder) based weapons that I kept inside every Raptor as standard onboard small firearms package.

I on the other hand didn't take any from the locker considering that I started storing weapons in nanite form inside my body. Until mentally commanded, all sorts of weapons were kept inside as nanite particles. That way I didn't need to spend time choosing a weapon for a mission. Of course, the weapon blueprint/design must be programmed in advance so that I could just mentally summon a weapon by its name.

_Nanite Construction — Heavy Pistol "__**Heartbreaker**__"_

With a mental command, silver-gray color nanites started pooling out of my right palm and the nanomachines almost instantaneously formed into one _**Heartbreaker**_ heavy pistol in my hand while I summoned one more weapon on my other hand. This time it was not a firearm but instead a blade weapon in the form of a 20-in (51-cm) Xiphos double-edged short sword which was aesthetically similar to the one from the movie _300_ instead of the traditional leaf-shaped design. Aside from the design and appearance, my version of short sword was a thermal atomic-edge blade capable of cutting and thrusting into virtually anything.

We exited our craft and entered the corvette where we found ourselves in what looked to be an auxiliary storage room. Frost took her position a meter from my side hefting her _**Ravager**_combat shotgun with the _**Badger**_ tactical SMG strapped to her left thigh. My short sword was currently sheathed inside the scabbard and the heavy pistol held just below my line of sight, railing the gun close to my body and at the same time protecting my upper extremities from being hit if and when a CQB presents itself. Just because I was a superhuman with advanced alien nanites that didn't mean I could afford to simply forget about the combat stances and trainings. No matter what, it was better not to get cocky and get shot unnecessarily even if you have the healing ability.

Always vigilant and never complacent.

Battle sensors were activated and digital telepathy was being used to quietly talked to each other. I could see a fireteam of four approaching to our location. By the look of their arrangement and movements on the sensors they were rather professional compared to the usual thugs and mercenaries. We took our position behind the support pillar just five meters away from the storage room's entrance in a flanking formation.

It didn't take long for the four-man fireteam to open the door and before they could even take a step inside the room, Frost tossed a stun grenade right in front of them. They attempted to cover their eyes but the flashbang detonated just as it hit the ground.

That was the cue for me so I squeezed the trigger and a 45 cal (11.43 mm) caseless-telescoped magnum compact (CMC) armor-piercing round punched right through the first armed man's forehead after penetrating his combat helmet. The monolithic (jacketless) copper round with tungsten carbide penetrator retained enough muzzle energy to hit the man behind him. The lightweight composite ceramic helmet of the first man was simply not enough to protect against a high-powered AP round at a close range.

Frost was not idle either after she lobbed the grenade considering that she blasted the heavy armor wearing hostile's knee cap. Before the guy could even whimper, she finished him off with another load of buckshot to the face.

Two other hostiles were quick to recover from the flashbang effect and took cover on either side of the entrance. They were certainly cautious and even smart but it didn't matter when I launched a tech attack from my hand. The _**Armor Breakdown**_ basically turned a combat armor with motorized joints and combat exoskeleton upgrades against its wearer by causing the joints to bend in hazardous and fatal ways leaving the target instantly dead at best and permanently injured at worst. This tech attack didn't work on simple combat armors but I saw two of them were wearing combat armors with mechanical augmentations.

It didn't take too long to hear their bones started breaking and the joints snapping along with the muffled screams from the doorway. It was quite cruel yet very effective tech attack against hostiles that were safely hidden behind the cover. The term _'cyber'_ attack would be more of an appropriate word than tech attack since it was a hack program that was launched against the armor system.

We passed by the two hostiles outside the room and saw their limbs contorted in unnatural shapes but not quite dead yet.

"It seems that the cyber core is doing a great job and it works perfectly, undeterred by the targets being behind the wall and cover." Frost commented, observing the twitching bodies of two hostiles who were most likely hired soldiers from an, as of yet, unknown PMC.

"Definitely. Let me get some intel from their omni-tools." I raised my hand with palm wide and generally aimed at the mercs' omni-tools. Mentally launching a remote smart hacking, a hack program was sent to smash down the firewalls and any other security systems. After that, the retrieval of the data commenced right away.

Two seconds later, it was done with all the data and credits from their omni-tools stripped away from their possession.

"Hmm, a covert PMC by the name of Black Adder. Very secretive group of mercenaries who mainly serves the elites and powerful corporations. We will dig further once we finish cleaning this place up." I said, processing the recently acquired data which was then put in the background.

"Did you find any motive for attacking this ship?" Frost asked.

"No. It appears that the information dispensation within their PMC is compartmentalized to a high degree. We will need to find the head of this assault party." I replied, aiming my heavy pistols and discharging one round to each of the mercenaries' heads.

The two mercs' heads slumped and they gladly welcomed the sweet relief of death over the agonizing pain.

We moved on, passing through the shuttle bay yet finding none of the mercs which was strange. So, when we reached near the bulkhead, the battle sensors started showing blobs of mass, indicative of presence behind the door.

_Enhanced Vision — Radar __**(Enabled)**_

Contrary to popular belief, infrared (thermal) sensors couldn't penetrate and see through the wall. Ultra-low power (ULP) radio signals on the other hand could not only detect persons but also track their movements in fine details behind the wall.

"I'm detecting two four-man fireteams in ambush formation. Confirm?"

"Confirmed."

"You start with a _**Smokescreen**_ once the bulkhead is opened and I will follow up with a _**Wide-Area Misdirect**_."

"Affirmative. Ready when you are."

Not bothering to wait, I remotely hacked the door open and Frost followed up the _**Smokescreen**_. A plume of smoke discharged from her wrist, covering the two hostile fireteams. They tried to fire through the smoke but failed miserably in scoring a single hit as they couldn't even see what was in front of them and the smoke interfered not just visually but also electronically on account of their combat sensors being blinded by the charged particles of the smokescreen.

Without giving them a chance to recover, I unleashed the _**Wide-Area Misdirect**_ and multiple holo decoys appeared which they fell for and started shooting at them, probably thinking that they were combat drones. We dashed in guns blazing with Frost firing both her shotgun and SMG while I went full gun fu with the _**Heartbreaker**_ heavy pistol in my right hand and _**Exultant Supreme**_ short sword in the other.

I went for the nearest one with the assault fire and grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away from his weapon and firing two rounds to his upper torso. Another merc tried to bash my face with the butt of his rifle which I blocked it with my right arm and mentally ignited the short sword of its thermal feature. The _**Exultant Supreme**_ glowed bright red-orange almost instantly and the merc in front of me stared with wide eyes but I snapped him out of his terror by bringing down the blade diagonally from his shoulder, passing through his ribcage and finally ended with slicing across his heart. His armored upper torso was cleaved slantwise with his blood sizzling on my glowing blade.

I didn't waste time admiring the clean precise cut of my handywork so I moved to another subject and thrusted my blade into a female merc's abdomen. Then I put a bullet through her throat which neatly severed her spinal cord. I pulled out the blade and sheathed it back to its scabbard then proceeded to Spartan-kick the corpse with enough force to send it flying to the next person.

With said person dazed from the impact, I _**Flash Step**_ in front of him and grabbed his helmeted head and fired two more rounds from under his chin. I looked across to find Frost who was mercilessly mowing down with her high-magazine capacity _**Badger**_ SMG and finishing up with her 8-gauge _**Ravager**_. She ejected her SMG magazine and slapped a new one with inhuman speed and precision but two mercs were already behind her. Before she could turn around to deal with them, I hurled the _**Exultant Supreme**_ with considerable force. The superheated atomic-edge blade entered one of the mercs from the back of his head which exited from his forehead without expending too much effort. The thermal blade then continued to puncture into the shoulder of another merc who was sneaking up on Frost.

The merc let out a yelp to which Frost was ready to act in return so she blasted her shotgun at point blank range with a slug this time. The specialized solid propellant offered bigger bang at 823 m/s (2700 ft/s) of muzzle velocity. The depleted uranium (DU) slug travelled below the barrier-intercept speed limit yet fast enough to explode the merc's armored head like a pinata through sheer kinetic energy the DU slug offered.

Frost gave a nod of thanks in my direction but I simply returned with a gesture of _'not a problem'_ as I picked up my blade.

When we realized that there were no more mercs left to slay, we continued our way and entered an elevator.

"Here's the plan. You go for the Bridge deck and take control of the ship while I go for the Engineering deck."

"Roger that, sir and be careful, I don't think that all the hostiles have been dispatched."

"I'll keep that in mind, Frost." I pressed the button for the Engineering and it didn't take long to reach the deck. I got off quickly, giving a small nod to Frost before the elevator doors closed.

I checked my heavy pistol to find that eight rounds were left in total. As I got closer to the engine room, I began seeing flashes similar to that of blowtorch cutters and then it suddenly stopped. Knowing that it would only stop when the doors have been breached, I hastened my pace and raised my heavy pistol. The two guards that were standing at the entrance were served with one round each through their eye holes before they could even bring up their assault rifles.

I entered the engine room and five more mercs jumped out from behind a reactor monitoring console. With no cover for me to hide behind, I launched a _**Sonic Anti-Personnel**_ towards them, affecting three mercs who dropped and started convulsing violently on the floor. The other two mercs didn't stop to look after their comrades but instead fired their assault rifles at me. I performed multiple combat somersaults to move away from the weapon fires.

Though I succeeded in dodging them, I still felt the bullets striking on my body which I realized that was coming from another merc who was hiding behind the door. I crouched on the floor once I landed from the somersault and emptied the rest of the heavy pistol at the merc's chest and abdomen with the last one hitting her in the head.

I jumped towards another console when the other two mercs continued their assault. I ejected the magazine and slammed a new one from my belt. The spent magazine reabsorbed into my body since it was made up of nanites in the first place.

Five more hostiles arrived to the scene while the initial two mercs were providing suppressive fire on my location. One thing I had to say about these Black Adder mercs were that they were good. Competent and disciplined unlike the Eclipse or the Blue Suns mercs.

"Sir, prepare for a little assistance. I'm disabling the engine room's gravity."

"Thanks, Frost. I'm ready. Do it."

I immediately felt the weightlessness but I commanded the nanites that made up the sole of my boots to stick to the floor similar to that of a gecko's feet. The Van der Waals forces between my boot and the floor increased thus grounding me to the floorboard while the mercs were flailing in the air helplessly. Which was a literal target practice for me and so I started blasting rounds after rounds hitting them in their glass visors and mouthpieces. Seven seconds later, all of them were dead with blood leaking out of their wounds. Soon the gravity returned and the corpses dropped on the floor with some piling up on one another.

Just as I stood up, I heard more weapon discharges and tech attacks exchanging between the mercs and the unknown, probably the last surviving crewmembers of this ship.

I stealthily sneaked inside another section of the engine room and moved towards the oblivious mercenary who was firing her weapon in short bursts. I covered her faceplate with my hand and thrusted my short sword through her back which exited from her chest. Even though the thermal function was turned off to preserve the stealth element, the blade was more than enough to cut down almost any materials.

I performed two more stealth kills before they realized that there was someone in their midst disposing them quietly. Their focus on the ship's surviving crewmembers stopped abruptly to find their predator. I remained in stealth mode and hid between a gap when two mercs came to my way. When they passed in front of me, I fired one round through his exposed neck and the other one from the back of his head. Both of them dropped like meat puppets.

I leapt up to the alcove of the ceiling and another merc came to check on his downed comrades and once he looked up to the alcove, I unleashed another round through his helmet.

Instead of jumping down from the ceiling, I opted to move from above and finally found what was left of the hostiles in this ship. Three of them were standing back to back in front of the thick armored door with their weapons pointing everywhere to wait for their inevitable confrontation. What they didn't realize was that said confrontation was coming from above and not from any other direction.

I stuck out the heavy pistol's barrel from the ceiling and fired two rounds in succession. The AP rounds penetrating their heads vertically downrange and before the last merc could bring up his weapon, I jumped down on his shoulders and twisted his head with my knees. The body slowly fell down and I stepped on the floor without any hassle.

I closely examined the armored door and it was obvious that the mercs were very adamant to get their hands on whatever or whoever was inside the room. I unsheathed my short sword, switched on the thermal function and cranked it up to max. Most armored doors have hinges all around and since I didn't see any digital components to hack, I shoved the superheated blade and began cutting from the edge. The metal bolts were melted one by one like a hot butter. It only took around fifty seconds before the cutting was completed and with an effort I kicked in the heavy door.

It thudded loudly on the floor and as I entered the door an _**Incinerate**_ shot nearly hit me in the face if it was not for my quick reflex. I looked at the culprit and saw a Human of Slavic descent in her mid-thirties with beige blonde shoulder-length hair. Her clothes were in tatters and she clearly looked exhausted from the whole debacle.

"Please, I'm here to help. I'm not one of them." I pointed at the three freshly killed mercenaries from behind.

"I don't believe you. And don't you come a step closer." She yelled, aiming her omni-tool while looking at my short sword warily. I knew she saw me using that to carve the vault door with ease. I slowly sheathed my blade and brought up my arms to show her that I meant no harm to her.

"My name is Albert Wesker. My ship was passing through this system when I detected the distress signal coming from this ship. I came here to assist." I explained, slowly walking towards her but she immediately re-aimed her omni-tool so I stopped on the spot.

"Then how did you get here? You could have been part of a good cop/bad cop routine to get me. I don't believe you." She shouted, on the verge of collapsing.

I turned my head around to look at the curved-out vault door, then the three dead mercs and if I could see through the ship's wall, a handful of ships that I obliterated and crippled to get here.

"Lady if I wanted to kill you then you would be dead before you could take another breath. I just melted this eight-inch thick door and if I'm a part of the mercenary group then I would just allow others to flood this room with their weapons blazing."

She glanced at the dead mercs just beyond the door and became thoughtful of my words.

"And I don't know if there are more reinforcements coming but I'm sure as hell don't want to be here when they arrive." I added, becoming a little less patient.

"Ok, alright. Wait! Did you just say that your name is Albert Wesker? The Albert Wesker?" She asked, a bit uncertain.

I reached for my trademark sunglasses which discreetly materialized in my inner pocket and put it on my face. "Yes, the one and only. Now let's go back to my ship. Your boat is done and the atmosphere is leaking if you haven't noticed yet."

We went back to the elevator and met up with Frost. After a brief introduction which the recently rescued woman introduced herself as Svetlana Belikova, all three of us returned to the auxiliary storage's airlock where the Raven was docked. I noticed her being a little disturbed by the some of the more disfigured dead bodies but not to the degree of puking her guts out which showed that she might have some spunk in her.

We departed her ship and the Revan dropship was hoisted up the ventral doors by the magnetic tractor system. When the craft was inside the ship, Svetlana had already dozed off from her fatigue.

I bridal carried her to the medical bay and laid her on the medical diagnostic bed. I ordered the bed to run a quick scan which would take at least five minutes to complete.

While I waited for the scan results, Frost spoke to me via the shared nanite link.

"Sir, you might want to hear this. There has been an attack on our weapon factory on Bekenstein."

"What!? Any fatalities or injuries?" I asked. All of a sudden, I was alert and on my feet.

"Eleven workers are dead and about two dozen are injured." She answered.

"What about the suspects? Do we know who might have fucked with us?"

"The preliminary evidence suggests that it's the Batarians, sir. But I need more data to confirm whether it's just a rouge group or a state sanctioned one. The attack happened just nine hours ago."

"Frost, plan new route. I want you to set course for the _**Boltzmann**_ system right away."

I left for the bridge deck and when I arrived there, Frost informed me that the crippled Batarian frigate was trying to escape with the cruiser providing cover for its retreat. Initially I was planning to storm the cruiser with two companies of _**Myrmidon**_ GIUs to perform some invasive investigations and intel gatherings but that plan was blown out of the water with the current predicament and now I would have to content myself with blowing up the ship.

"Deal with the cruiser first. It's more critical than the frigate." I ordered and Frost complied who was already sitting on the NCT (Neural Command Throne) manning the ship.

A few seconds later, two hollow point slugs slammed on the cruiser's dorsal surface, nearly snapping its spine and the third round was launched which sealed the fate of the 660 meters long cruiser. The nuke round slipped through the crack formed by the prior rounds and detonated inside the cruiser, consuming the entire cruiser in a nuclear fire.

When the turrets swiveled to the frigate's trajectory, the heavily damaged ship managed to accelerate to FTL.

"Damn!" Frost swore quietly but I patted her shoulder to convey a good job.

She nodded in response and entered the ship into the Fluidspace for a split second before flying towards the mass relay. We exited the mass relay of the _Serpent_ Nebula and continued for a few minutes of military thrust with the fusion engines. Once we were done putting some distance between the Citadel station and the _Solace_, once again we entered the ship into the Fluidspace for a few seconds. Afterwards, we exited the ship in the gas cloud of a moon orbiting the _Veltman_, a hydrogen-helium gas giant that orbits the star _Boltzmann_. It was done to hide our FTL exit from the system's monitoring sensors.

We continued the rest of the journey on max thrust with the gravity engine assisting greatly in cruising at thirty percent the speed of light. It didn't take too long for us to reach around _Bekenstein_'s orbit and we parked the _Solace_ in the geosynchronous orbit directly above the factory. Normally ships weren't allowed to park in whichever orbit they chose to but I have a handful of the planet's high-ranking authorities in my pocket so I retained some special privileges.

We took a Raven down to the surface and landed on a pad reserved for the Raven dropship. I had called my employees on the ground ahead and they were already waiting for my arrival at the LZ. I exited the craft and was immediately greeted by a Quarian marine and the superintendent of the facility.

"Sir, thanks for getting here quick." The Quarian marine greeted as he shook my hand and the superintendent did the same who still looked a little shaken.

"I would have gotten here earlier if I was not on the other side of the galaxy. Brief me along the way, Lieutenant. Tell me everything and start from the beginning." I ordered while we walked our way to the main assembly line.

"Yes, sir. At 0200, approximately twelve hours ago we detected a sensor trip on one of the parameters. We thought it was nothing more than some stray wildlife mistaken by the motion sensors, still we sent a two-man team to check it out and when they didn't return fifteen minutes later, we realized that something was up." The lieutenant began, he was outfitted in a medium-sized combat armor emblazoned with both the logos of the Migrant Fleet Marine Corps and the Lethal Weapon Incorporated.

"Then the proximity alarms and biometric sensors started blaring. The weapon discharges followed soon after. The security forces rallied and the head of security initiated a lockdown of the facility but the small group of intruders were already inside." The marine explained, walking with me from my right side.

"The intruders were decked in full combat armor and they were well armed with decent training. They indiscriminately killed any night-shift workers they encountered along the way."

"What were they interested in this facility?" I asked.

"They were mainly interested in the manufacturing blueprints for the weapons but the lockdown protocol ensured that the terminals with proprietary data were hard-locked so they didn't get away with anything."

"What happened next?"

"They tried to bug out ASAP but realized that the facility exits were shutdown with blast resistant doors which they didn't have firepower to tear down so they decided to take a few of our workers as hostages to negotiate a safe passage and a standoff ensued but we, marines were not having it and one of the intruders panicked. He opened fire and as they say, the rest was history, sir. The hostages only received some cuts, bruises and maybe some emotional trauma."

The marine looked proud but then his outward expression became crestfallen as he continued, "But we were unable to prevent earlier deaths of our workers when the intruders first arrived. The bastards managed to kill hardworking defenseless Quarians before we got to them."

"In the early report, it stated that the attackers were Batarians?"

"Yes, the small infiltration team was made up of those four-eyed bastards." The marine confirmed. He looked like he would have spat if he was not wearing his helmet.

"I will see their corpses later and Frost will do some works on them. Give her access to the morgue afterwards." I said, noticing the marine looked a bit uncomfortable when I mentioned Frost's name. I always noticed that the Quarians were pretty tense around Frost as if they subconsciously knew that Frost was a self-aware AI in an android body. Or maybe because Frost was just good at acting out the ice queen persona.

"You did well and most of all, you did your people proud. Remember that, Marine." I voiced in an authoritative tone and the marine stood up straight, automatically responding to my voice triggering the military drill instilled in him by his drill instructor.

I turned to the superintendent of the facility and said, "I want you to stop the assembly lines after finishing the current batch of weapons."

I looked around the facility, seeing the workers busy with their tasks at hand. The factory hasn't even been opened for a full year and already there was trouble and frankly I wouldn't miss this place or even this planet. Too exposed here for my liking anyway.

"We are relocating in a few weeks. Prepare to move everything that is not bolted down to the ground which I understand is almost everything." The superintendent of the facility looked surprised and shocked even, then resignation kicked in and finally nodded in understanding.

"You are dismissed." And the superintendent went back to the manufacturing lines.

"Since the head of security didn't come to greet me, I assume that he was killed in action." I guessed to the marine.

"Yes, sir. The good Major died while spearheading the counter-attack."

"Well I read the security reports and reviewed the surveillance recordings on my way here. Also, the detailed accounts from the other marines stated that you were also pivotal in the counter-offensive efforts."

The marine looked puzzled and clueless. "I don't know what you are getting at, sir. I was just doing my duty."

"Yes, you will be doing your duty as the head of security starting from tomorrow."

Again, he looked a bit stunned but he immediately replied, "But sir, I'm just a first lieutenant, a company-grade officer not even field-grade yet."

"True. I can't promote you because I'm not your officer but I can give you this position because it is within my ability in this company and yes, there are other officers with higher ranking than you on this planet but they are not you. So, congratulations because you earned it.

Now get back to your post Lieutenant Reegar."

Said lieutenant gave a crisp salute and yelling, "Sir yes sir!"

A few minutes later, Frost appeared beside me and I faced in her direction and asked, "Were you able to confirm whether it was state or rouge?"

"I'm afraid it is the former, sir"

"Batarian SIU?"

"No. Batarian External Forces."

"If the intruders were Special Intervention Unit members then this place would have been blown up to kingdom come." I stated, putting my hands behind my back.

The External Forces was another known Batarian military branch which Balak, a future terrorist that would try to crash the Asteroid X57 into the Human colony of Terra Nova. In the canon, he was a high-ranking member of the External Forces and the leader of the terrorist group that tried to crash the asteroid. If the attack was done by some rogue Batarian raiders trying to score a quick paycheck, it would have been of little consequence but this was not done by some belligerent foes. This was a state-sponsored hit and I would not damn well take it lying down.

"What's on your mind, boss?" Frost asked tentatively.

"I kind of expected something from the Batarians after I made that public statement a week ago but not like this. Looks like we are going to have to accelerate our plans. Once we finished relocating this factory to the _Deliverance_. We will have to quicken our pace with the legitimization process of the PMC."

"I will get right on that, sir. What about the immediate action against them?"

"Oh, I've a target in mind that will hurt them pretty badly." The Batarian Hegemony had fucked with the wrong person and I already have a retaliatory plan in my line of sight.

Putting a faux thoughtful look on my face, I asked Frost, "Don't you think that it's time for the Batarian Hegemony to have a regime change on their hands. A change in leadership that will greatly benefit the Batarian people and a few certain someone like maybe, I don't know, us?"

"Undoubtedly sir." Frost replied with a grin and we were both smiling together like a pair of hyenas.

"Since we agreed on the issue, the Hegemony is definitely ripe for a regime change."

The Batarians had wronged me and my workers and in my eyes, that meant war.

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/**_**Kithoi**_** Ward**

_**Amethyst**_** River**

"…_**With that being said, I can't in good conscience sell weapons of war to a regime that openly practices slavery of not just their citizens but also of other species as part of their culture. They may claim that practice of slavery is a part of their society but the yoke and tyranny of sapient beings shall never be considered as innocent customs by the civilized societies…"**_

_**That rousing speech was given by Mr. Albert Wesker, founder and CEO of Lethal Weapon Inc. a few days ago and in reaction to his speech, the Batarian ambassador responded by saying that it was nothing more than blatant discrimination and xenophobia against the Batarian people as a whole under a thin veneer of faux moral concern. And that Mr. Wesker has no say whatsoever on the cultural norms of the Batarian society.**_

_**On the side note, when the founder of the newly burgeoning Lethal Weapon Inc. was asked for the reason on stepping down from his CEO post, he replied that he wanted to dedicate his time for one of his latest company; the X-Gen Tech. He also announced the succeeding CEO chosen for his weapon company by introducing a middle-aged man named Anatoly Sokolov who was standing beside him during his speech. **_

_**Aside from the name, not much was known about the new CEO.**_

_**This is Irish Dunnigan and you are watching the Alliance News Network's "Headlines Now"**_

The replay of the news footage from a week ago faded away and I puffed on the last inch of the _Redstone_ cigarette sharply before squashing it inside the ashtray that was placed on the dashboard.

"It might have earned you some PR brownie points but it certainly didn't end well for your factory." Tevos said who was sitting beside me.

"It didn't. I didn't expect that the Batarians would be so bold in getting back at me." I replied.

"A minor miscalculation on my side, mind you. It won't happen again." I added.

Tevos just looked at me with a slightly amused expression but didn't say anything and we stayed silently for a few minutes by just admiring the ward's landscape from our unique position until she spoke again.

"I presume that you will want to do something about the Batarians." She asked, turning her body to face me directly.

"Yes, you assumed correctly." I returned.

"May I also assume that you already have a plan to strike where it hurts them?" She suggested.

"You may assume, my dear Councilor." I replied with a smirk.

"So, do I get to know a bit of your diabolical plan for the Batarians?" She in return asked sweetly.

"No, you may not."

"Why not? I know a thing or two about keeping secrets you know." She responded; mischief apparent on her face.

"I don't doubt that dear."

"Then why?"

"It's simple. Plausible deniability for you of course. Don't worry, you will know about it right after the plan is executed. It will be something you can't possibly miss." I assured her while gunning the engine, the speed quickly reached to fifty kilometers per hour (31 mi/h) and I flicked on the cruise control switch. I fished for another cigarette from my breast pocket and lit it up with a sleight of hand.

We both sat quietly not uttering a word while enjoying the relative silence and passing scenery around us.

The gentle spray of water lightly brushing my face felt nice along with the tender vapor of the cigarette exhaled out of my nostril. I looked at Tevos who was sitting beside me and enjoying the unique experience of the ride. She looked almost carefree and relaxed. I too found it relaxing to cruise along the famous artificial river of the _**Kithoi**_ ward in a speed boat.

Yes, riding a fucking speed boat down the stretches of forty-kilometer long fake river from one of the Citadel's wards in the middle of a nebula in deep space. It was a pain in the ass to apply for the special permission to ride this thing around. I had to pull some strings to make it happen because it sounded so ridiculous that the request was almost shot down. I honestly wouldn't blame them and I did it for the hell of it anyway.

Of course, there were many regulations for riding the speed boat like the obvious speed limit, the type of engine, the noise level and a bunch of other things that I must take care of if I wanted to cruise around.

The 12 meters (39 ft) long speed boat's design was based on the _Wellcraft Scarab 38 KV_ but produced with modern technology. Twin hydrojets (pump-jet) powered by eight hydrogen fuel cells generated about 3600 horsepower and capable of hitting the top speed of 290 kilometers per hour (180 mi/h). The boat's structural design was constructed with maximum hydrodynamic efficiency in mind. The hydrojet marine propulsion system was picked because of its considerable advantages over bare propellers which also aligned with the stringent regulations. The new propulsion system has improved shallow-water operations, protection of the rotating element that made it safer around aquatic life, noise reduction (low sonar signature), high power density and so on.

The end product was a sleek and supermaneuverable two-seater speed boat that I affectionately named it the _"__**Sabrina**__"_.

As far as I knew there was only one speed boat speeding in the river and it became a sensation overnight among the station's residents and visitors.

"Any interesting news on your end to share?" I asked the Asari Councilor, passing my half-smoked cigarette which she accepted without hesitation and promptly puffed on it.

She blew out the inhaled smoke slowly and answered, "There is this intriguing piece of news that not even the mainstream media know of. Yet. Apparently, there are rumors of the Na'hesit faction's resurgence on Anhur after their defeat back in the 2178."

"Ah, the Anhur Rebellions which was between the Batarian pro-slavers and the Human abolitionists. Last I heard the Humans, while victorious were struggling to get back on their feet after much of their infrastructures being destroyed in the civil war."

"Exactly. They are still getting their bearings and the pro-slaver faction is making a return. I can't imagine the Human faction winning this time with their precarious situation."

Suddenly I experienced a light bulb moment. The regime change effort for the Hegemony could potentially start from there. In order to effectively start the regime change, not only economic destabilization was required but also starting fires in the Hegemony territories in the form of rebellions from the slaves against their masters, arming discontent groups of people and supporting already existing rebellion forces like the Humans on Anhur. Also wide spread propaganda campaigns and exposures of life under the Batarian slavers to the galaxy as whole would garner much needed public support and sympathy. It just so happened that I have a slowly forming PMC on my hand to make use of.

But honestly, the Batarian regime change was part of my agenda way before their attack on my weapon factory. This was not being carried out solely for vindictive reason of my own rather because it was necessary for when the Reapers finally arrived. In the canon, the Batarians were the first to get utterly crushed by the Reapers which I have to admit was partly because of the sizable number of indoctrinated Batarians among them but most important of all, whether I liked them or not, in order to fight the Reapers, they were necessary in the war efforts.

As they say, a chain is as strong as the weakest link.

Which also meant I would definitely need a network of organic informants and spies to carry out covert operations aside from the cyber/electronic spy network. I would need operatives and wet work teams in the field doing my bidding. A lot of planning ahead for me. Not going to be easy.

"Hey!" Tevos prodded my arm pulling me out of my thought. "You spaced out for a while. You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little preoccupied with my mind." I returned, taking in a deep breath of fresh air.

"You know I can personally recommend you to Sha'ira. She can help you clear your mind and impart you with an advice or two." Tevos offered, her hand still touching my elbow.

"Thank you for your suggestion but I'm not there yet." I politely declined and even if I was stressed out which I was not, I would never go to the Consort; that glorified shrink with benefits who I wasn't inclined to trust let alone picked my brain.

It was a theory but skilled and powerful mind meld could be used to uncover secrets. Not directly to read the mind but sort of interpret the signals. It was a hypothesis Frost and I came up by studying the captured Ardat-Yakshi in my lab. Also, I wouldn't put it past the Consort being either an operative or an informant for the ARIA (Asari Republic Intelligence Agency).

After we had exchanged words for a few more minutes, we said farewell to each other with a promise of future dates and quickly returned to our respective busy lives. I also have to conduct interviews in choosing my own personal assistant for the X-Gen Tech office. I couldn't waste Frost as my personal assistant all the time when she could be so valuable for other important tasks.

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/Presidium**

_**Ethereal **_**Penthouse**

Svetlana Belikova silently gazed outside from her room's window at the distant wards. She has been staying at her savior's penthouse for nearly a month after her near capture and death from the mercenaries. She usually prided herself for her cool and calm demeanor but the latest near brush with death shook her like never before. She couldn't dare imagine what might have befell upon her if her rescuer didn't arrive in the nick of time.

She didn't know who or why would anyone attack her, and she was especially baffled on how the attacking party knew of her personal ship's route. Sure, she didn't make a habit of keeping where she went a secret but she didn't particularly shout it from the top of the roof either. She remembered it well how her ship came under attack without any early warning or detection. It was not some fluke that the other five ships stumbled upon her vessel. It was a textbook ambush that caught her ship unaware.

Since it was a small ship possessing a light crew with light defense weapons, it didn't last long against even one of the enemy corvettes let alone four others, one being a cruiser-class. Once the ship was disabled, it was boarded and her crew members were hunted down. She was completely helpless to do anything for her crew members who prioritized her safety above theirs and was scared out of her wits witnessing the execution and subsequent spacing of her crewmen. It was the worst moment of her life that she wished she could simply forget but she couldn't.

Doing that would be a grave insult to the memories of the ship's crew and she would always remember their sacrifice to keep her safe.

She sighed softly averting her lengthy gaze outside the window and moved towards the elegant tall armchair to sit with an antique hardcover book on her lap.

She was the sole daughter of Nikolai Belikova, a major shipping magnate and the owner of EAS's (Earth Systems Alliance) largest shipping company, Orion Express. While she was taught about the inner workings of her father's business and was fairly competent at it, she strongly felt that it was not her true calling with the science of biological being her lifelong passion. She just could not imagine herself becoming a business tycoon like her father. She was an emerging biologist with two PhDs in genetics and biological engineering under her belt with the third one in virology on the way.

In a highly competitive galaxy where the fields of science and technology were dominated by the long-lived Asari each holding their version of at least half a dozen PhDs and fast-thinking super intelligent Salarians, two PhDs soon to be three were barely enough for her to enter into the prominent mainstream science academia. She would need one hell of a miraculous creation on par with that of Jonathan Sirta's medi-gel to get recognition.

Anyway, she was generally a private and quite person who almost all the time occupied herself with her favorite subjects and hobbies. She was not anti-social per se. It was just that there were not many close peers who could keep up with her in terms of interests and discussions of intellectual nature.

She also realized that her rescuer was none other than a rising star in both academia and media who was making multiple rapid strides in the galaxy. She later discovered that he was also a fellow biologist and had no problem in keeping up with her whenever they have an intellectual debate. Granted, he was a man of few words but when he spoke his words were efficient and straight to the point which she was starting to appreciate.

She just wished that he would allow her access to his lab. She knew the man was a bit of an enigma and certainly an interesting person so she was kind of hopping to get a peep of his lab, with his permission of course. Character of a man could be interpreted by the look of his workplace and she was itching to know the man who just popped under spotlight not even a year ago.

She tried to use what little hacking skill she has to try to enter his lab but it was ultimately a futile effort. She couldn't even hear anything from the inside but curiously when she listened carefully at certain spot from the lab's exterior, she swore she could make out muffled moaning and growling from the lab. She deduced that it might be nothing more than lab animals but at the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think that it sounded eerily like that of a Human or an Asari.

She also learnt that he knew about her failed attempts to enter the lab probably due to the security VI that was ever present in the suite. When she attempted to apologize for her intrusion, he would just give her a small smile and nothing more. She was both relieved and bewildered at the same time. She thought he would surely kick her out of his penthouse, also she was sticking with him for the safety of her life and she could have left any time she wished to but she didn't. To be frank to herself she was staying because she found the man to be not just stimulating intellectually but also in term of his personality. There was something more to him just beneath the surface that she couldn't put her finger on it.

It was a peculiar situation that she hasn't encountered before.

Mild frustration welled up inside and she got up from the comfortable armchair still holding the ancient book in her arm.

She left her room which was a guest room on the first level of the suite. She liked the quaint looking interior of the penthouse and found it to be well-equipped with simplistic elegance. It has everything she could ever needed, to take not a step outside of the suite.

Just as she reached the kitchen, a voice sounded much to her slight irritation.

"Good evening, Ms. Belikova. How is your day this evening?" A rather haughty tone greeted her.

"I'm fine, VI. Thank you. I'm just busy reading this interesting book that I found on the table from the library." It was actually found in the study room on the second floor but the VI didn't need to know that.

She held up the book in her hand for emphasis but she felt silly as the VI holo projector was not even showing the VI's avatar. She refused to call the VI by its given name which was Frost when introduced by the penthouse' host since she always got this snooty vibe from the VI. She didn't know why would her host put up with a VI with defective personality.

"Good. At least you are not trying to sneak inside my boss's lab." The VI named Frost replied with even more snobbish voice.

"Hey! I told him that I was sorry and I stopped doing it afterwards." She raised her volume. She knew it was irrational to think that she could intimidate an inanimate object but she also thought that Frost was way too Human-like to be a VI. Not even the best programming could ever imitate an organic's antics and quirks. An eerie notion came to her mind that Frost might be more than a VI.

She shook her head and grabbed a glass of water. She returned to her room to further read the very strange and engaging book named, _**Natural History Conspectus**_, a 72-volume non-fiction book series written by Henry Travis. The book detailed about the author's 35-year trip around Africa mostly detailing about plants, animals and the people of Africa along with their culture. What was more bizarre was that the book was written way back in the 19th century, over three hundred years ago except she couldn't find anything about the man or his book. Not a trace of names like the Travis Enterprise or person like Dr. Oswell E. Spencer could be found on the Extranet or even the old internet of Earth.

She was currently reading on another subject that again couldn't be found on any other sources. It was a flower by the name of _**Stairway of the Sun**_ which was allegedly found in the area known as Kijuju. An as of yet unknown flower that could create great strength to those who ate it. But the book further stated that it was a virus named _**Progenitor**_ that was the cause and not the flower itself.

Svetlana Belikova was thoroughly intrigued and she couldn't put the book down until she got some answers or she might have to confront the man that owned this book. After nearly two hours of reading she closed the book with the red ribbon marker bookmarking the last page. She gulped down the rest of the water from the glass and switched on the VidScreen. She spent a minute or two changing between channels but in the end, she stopped at Alliance News Network since there was nothing better to watch.

…_**On another news, the Alliance Geological Service (AGeS) has stated that they may not be the first to arrive at the new star system in the Siguard's Cradle cluster as their scout team has found the system to be marked by another team from the recently emerged Final Frontier Enterprise. Though the AGeS's space probes were the first to spot the planet, a ship from the FFE was found orbiting the first planet with the metaphorical flag planted in the planet's orbit.**_

_**The exploration team has named the first planet as Despoina, a Greek goddess of the Eleusinian mysteries.**_

_**It is certainly a win for the new exploration firm whose goal is to reignite the golden age of galactic exploration…**_

**X-X-X**

**Citadel/Presidium/Section 16 Block 19**

_**Serenity **_**Tower**

Mia Solheim stood in the middle of the office which belonged to the CEO of the X-Gen Tech Corporation. She was here for the CEO's personal assistant position and she has been coming here for last two days to wait for her turn. She couldn't lose her chance at the interview that she deemed it to be very important. It was quite imperative that she secured this specific position or she didn't know what to do anymore.

She has seen plenty of interviewees left this very room empty-handed and while she was very much relieved that they didn't get the job, she was afraid that she might end up the same. This interview was not the same like any others. Despite seeing many who were turned back from this interview she was a bit amazed to see that even more were waiting for their chance at becoming a personal assistant for the galaxy's rising corporate leader. She would not put it past the Asari to try something of questionable behavior towards the male CEO. After all the CEO himself was the interviewer and it was not going to be easy.

With slowly mounting pressure from multiple factors like the supposed interviewer, the anxiety of not getting the job and the horde of barely restrained interviewees on the outside, she was starting to feel the strain. She couldn't sit, yet couldn't stand still either so she looked around the office to get the man's impression. She started with the overall décor of the room.

She found that the office was rather spartan instead of pretentious like she had witnessed before in most CEOs' offices. A modest glass and steel table stood at the back of the room with two separate wooden shelves flanking the table and chair. There was a row of softly lit spot lights softly emitting pale light on the emblem and title of the company. Above the corporate emblem, there was a motto, no, a proverb in Latin which read as, _**"Fortuna audaces iuvat"**_ which basically translated to _Fortune favors the bold_. Personally, she preferred the _**"Fortis fortuna adiuvat"**_ (_Fortune favors the strong/brave_).

She found it odd that a man like him, an industrialist, would use a slogan that was mostly used by the military forces. She has to wonder whether if he was a former military member. But it was not the slogan that interested her. No, it was the life-size portrait of painting that was hanging on the right side of the room from his chair.

She moved closer to appraise the painting. There were two people on it; a man and a woman. The man was obviously the CEO but younger with an all-black attire that was quintessential of him consisting of suit jacket with turtleneck and his hands covered in a pair of gloves. Of course, not to forget about his ever-present dark Aviator sunglasses. He was sitting on a leather armchair while the woman next to him was standing, dressed in all-white with her right hand on her hip. Both of them have pretty neutral expression on their faces.

'_Who is she anyway? Did he used to have a sister that no one knows about?' _She pondered silently, her body inching closer while her eyes were roaming across the painting in intense scrutiny that she might have bumped her forehead if not for the voice behind her.

"Remnants of a longtime past where she and I had dreams and aspirations together."

Mia immediately turned to where the voice came from and found that it was the CEO himself standing just inside the office's threshold. Unusually he was not in his typical black suit, instead he was wearing a baby blue collared shirt, gray vest and red tie with a pair of vintage Wayfarer sunglasses. He looked like a man from the 1960s with the hard part comb over hairstyle.

"I assume she is your sister?" Mia asked tentatively.

"She was." The blonde man replied, walking slowly towards the painting and stopping just a few feet away.

"I'm sorry to hear that. How did she uh…?" Mia inquired, not sure if she should finish her question.

"Die? Don't be shy Ms. Solheim. People under my employ are encouraged to be bold and confident. After all that's what the saying is all about, isn't it? Those are not some empty words." He said, pointing at the Latin proverb behind his chair.

"Well dear Alex was a brilliant individual in fields of biology but there was no bound when it comes to irony and she contracted an incurable disease. She perished some time ago." He answered sorrowfully, his facial expression stern and unyielding refusing to shed tear.

"Anyway, shall we begin the interview?" She heard him asked, snapping her out of the slight reverie.

"Of course, sir." She responded, taking a chair in front of his desk while he did the same. Just as she was about to sit, the door opened again letting another person to enter. She turned her head to see a woman who was usually seen around the blonde CEO lately. In her opinion, the woman was one of the most beautiful women she had ever encountered in her life, though she herself was definitely not bad looking at all, she felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer gorgeousness and gracefulness of the woman before her.

"Ah, Ms. Solheim let me introduce to Ms. Frost. She will be my partner in the interviewing process." The blonde man stood up to give some space to his partner.

"Oh, okay. Sure." She said hesitantly, wondering what would be the newly arrived woman's purpose in this interview.

"So, your parents were both Norwegians who moved to Australia just before you were born, correct?" The first question was asked.

"Yes, that's where my surname came from despite my Australian accent."

"And your blonde hair. Scandinavian heritage. A rare trait nowadays." The woman, Frost, butted in.

"Yeah but not so rare considering that everyone in this room each has a shade of blonde." Mia chuckled, trying to ease in the conversation.

"So, tell me about your childhood. What was it like? Do you have any cousins or siblings?" The blonde CEO asked her which she found it to be quite odd.

Nonetheless she tried her best to indulge in the questions and it went on for nearly two hours which was twice the length of a typical interview. Most of the questions were about her personal life and very little about her qualifications or working experiences. She tried her best to answer the questions even though her frustration and anger slowly rose up. Not just the type of questions but also the way questions were worded made her felt weird. At the very end of the interview she has to stifle her emotions lest it blew up in the face.

Fortunately, her time and effort were rewarded when they hired her on the spot. She thanked both of them a bit hastily for her liking but she was barely holding back her emotion. When she exited the building, she nearly burst into tears. Not because she got the job but something in the interview questions rattled her.

She hurriedly arrived at her apartment in the _Bachjret_ ward. She rushed into the kitchen and took a big gulp of wine to calm her nerves. She sat on the living room couch for a few minutes recalling the unexpectedly stressful ordeal but she couldn't rest yet. She went inside her bedroom and secured the room. After the necessary protocols were completed, she manipulated the light bulb from the lamp on the nightstand and a small pedestal rose up from the floor.

The orange-hued hologram appeared showing a man in his mid-forties.

"Operative Lawson, I assume you have accomplished your mission?"

"Yes, sir. I managed to get into the position as his personal assistant." She replied, her whole demeanor shifted when giving her answer.

"Any hiccups in the process?"

"No, sir. It went well." She answered but the man caught a brief moment of her uncertainty.

"Spit it out, Operative Lawson. What happened during the interview?"

So, she gave the gist of how the interview went and saw the man on the other side contemplating to himself for a while.

"From what you just described; it seems like they just performed a mild PSYWAR (psychological warfare) on you. But the real question is how do they know what subject to rattle you with. You are one of the organization's top operative and was trained to resist PSYOP (psychological operations). It looks like the threat level of Mr. Wesker just bumped up a few notches."

"So, my objectives remain the same then?" She enquired.

"Yes. You are to learn everything you can about him. His habits, his way of thinking (psychology profile), his goals and so on. I expect weekly report about him from now on. In fact, I'm hearing that he will be inviting some Alliance top brass to demonstrate a new type of missile in the near future. Keep an eye on it." He ordered, exhaling a plume of smoke.

"Will I be getting any backups in the future?" Not that she needed any but it was always nice to know that there was one.

"You may request Bravo team's assistant if you need it. They have been surveilling Mr. Wesker's movements for quite some times now." He instructed, taking a sip of his favorite drink.

With that done, he signed off and the last thing she saw was him taking another sip of his whiskey, his glowing cybernetic eyes and the backdrop of the dying red star.

**X-X-X**

**Citadel Station/Presidium/Citadel Tower**

**Private Council Chambers**

Councilor Valora Tevos darted into one of the private council chambers where her fellow Councilors and their respective aides were already there. She was rudely awakened from her sleep when she was summoned to the Citadel Tower on account of alert level 4. She was quickly escorted by a SpecTRe and two security details in their respective air cars. Level 4 alert meant that the situation was severe but not immediate and contained at its source.

The Asari Councilor saw almost all the personnel inside the chamber were giving all their collective attention towards the holo display. When she got closer, she caught sight of what the display was showing. It was an aerial view depicting what looked to be a factory on fire. It was fierce how the fire was swelling in every direction. There were many who were trying their best to extinguish the hellish flame but it looked pretty futile. She also noticed that the smoke from the fire was exhibiting multiple colors.

"Is this live?" She asked no one in particular but the Salarian Councilor answered.

"Yes. Live from one of our SpecTRe on site."

"Where is this taking place?" She asked next.

"Khar'shan. The situation, not good. Extremely volatile."

Before she could ask for more, Councilor Valern continued, "Batarian state-owned hydrazine plant. A carcinogenic monopropellant fuel they used for their ships' maneuvering thrusters. Hydrazine, highly toxic and extremely unstable inorganic compound unlike our ships which use liquid hydrogen/oxygen."

"The fire has been raging on for hours now. No one can get close to the factory. The temperature is nearly a thousand degrees and they are just trying to make sure it didn't spread any further down below." Councilor Sparatus spoke up for the first time, filling her of the missing pieces.

The sudden thought slammed her like a brick when she realized by what Sparatus was saying. "Oh Goddess! The underground reservoir below the factory. What is the estimate of the volume of the reservoir?"

"Millions of liters. That's the best estimate the STG has come up with. We can't know exactly for sure."

The situation on the screen abruptly changed and the people that were trying to put out or curb the fire started bolting away from their positions. It didn't take a genius to figure out that what was going to happen next. With bated breath, the entire room waited for the inevitable and a few minutes later, just as she suspected the raging fire reached the huge underground reservoir of rocket fuel and violent exothermic reaction resulted. The bright light filled the whole display like a small star, the shockwave traveled in every direction and finally it reached the SpecTRe's location shaking the feed violently.

And the fire ball and the flame seemed to calm down. It looked like that was it but she was proven wrong when another even bigger explosion ripped through the air. The blast wave was visible even from afar and the thundering boom was heard later as it seemed to split the very sky apart. It was an explosion on par to that of a low-yield tactical nuclear detonation.

"A total of 4.7 kilotons TNT equivalent were detonated. Billions worth of credits were just turned into explosive chemical reaction. One of the worst disasters in the Batarian history or even the entire chemical explosion history. But what bugs me is that it shouldn't even happen. The Batarians are not keen on safety and protocols like we are but they wouldn't be so careless with such matter on their home planet. The VI monitors and around-the-clock personnel should have easily prevented that from ever happening. It just doesn't make sense. I'll have to look into it further in the future." Councilor Valern said, shaking his head while looking at his omni-tool and replaying the footage over again.

Tevos was also feeling the same but before she could deliberate more, her omni-tool buzzed and she unlocked it to find a text message so she opened it to read the content. She nearly got a heart attack after she finished reading the message.

"_**That my dear was my diabolical plan for the Batarians. Revenge is best served cold, don't you think or in this case, best served hot and explosive."**_

_**~W.**_


End file.
